tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-138266822024-03-07T16:30:17.794-08:00Vancouver Doula (...and Slow Birth)I help you to realize that you have the abilities, wisdom and courage to give birth. Birth is something that you know on a basic level. I just help you to access that knowledge. - Jacquie MunroJacquie Munrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700829406922054822noreply@blogger.comBlogger215125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13826682.post-48488708114720254332015-07-16T15:31:00.001-07:002015-07-16T15:47:41.076-07:00Slow BirthThis is the end of the line for this blog address. Follow the path to <a href="http://slowbirth.com/">Slowbirth.com</a>. You'll find more doula, slow birth, slow parenting and slow living posts. You'll also find more information on how I can help you along your own path. <br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Iy19skZQIlHjHuNxF1vyV8hi6Kgc-HDpgwWdHYdavhmv3V5LxYxG37yQSUYnXBQ8CkT3EupjR7J0yYGhbUToxoLyZHiiRcshJ3p7_Ko_X3JU1LzB6pDfUB0mwRiRg_WbKd1fdA/s1600/413434_10151786978705603_1583487778_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Iy19skZQIlHjHuNxF1vyV8hi6Kgc-HDpgwWdHYdavhmv3V5LxYxG37yQSUYnXBQ8CkT3EupjR7J0yYGhbUToxoLyZHiiRcshJ3p7_Ko_X3JU1LzB6pDfUB0mwRiRg_WbKd1fdA/s320/413434_10151786978705603_1583487778_o.jpg" width="239" /></a>The births this month have been beautiful and surprising and powerful. You might think that, after attending more than 1200 births over 28 years, I might have seen it all. But I haven't by a long shot! These mothers and babies and families teach me something new every day. From a sweet girl who was born "face first" (so rare that most of us have only seen this once before) to a client who "pedalled" her way up and over the mountains of labour. Another new mum thanked me for helping her to see that birth doesn't have to be scary... after she breathed her daughter into her arms while floating in water. And another client whispered, "Do you think anyone will believe me when I tell them how amazing it was?! Don't get me wrong, it was way bigger than I had imagined, but that was great!"<br />
<br />
<b>I am currently working with 4 clients per month, and still have some openings in October and December 2015, as well as January, March and beyond in 2016. </b>What's with busy February? Anyone???<br />
<br />
We're off to Europe in August and September, so please get in touch <b>before August 10th</b> or we will have to have a "virtual interview" by email while I'm sitting in a little B&B in the Outer Hebrides or in a small cottage in Provence! <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
So, please walk on over to <a href="http://slowbirth.com/">Slowbirth.com</a> now! Thanks to Communications Designer <a href="http://alannamunro.com/" target="_blank">Alanna Munro</a> (aka ma belle-fille) for brainstorming new projects and services, and doing all the technical and design work that is beyond me. I'll be rolling out new offerings soon enough. Until then, you'll find lots to read that you won't find anywhere else! <i> - Jacquie</i>Jacquie Munrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700829406922054822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13826682.post-85860409219384480602014-05-12T06:44:00.000-07:002014-11-08T19:51:19.371-08:00Grace<div class="Body">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcaeuGrESnpNupPLGPHvZJ5C4EcN62liXGRpSj93T8o7ybedWdTiVkonZbl-WjxBQE8Y_oWOukNZaY_upC4l85y8GjEhvM5B55wpuQx7GdUaxRQlZdy2pmC7V_coijP-vbpW8lQg/s1600/IMG_4440.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcaeuGrESnpNupPLGPHvZJ5C4EcN62liXGRpSj93T8o7ybedWdTiVkonZbl-WjxBQE8Y_oWOukNZaY_upC4l85y8GjEhvM5B55wpuQx7GdUaxRQlZdy2pmC7V_coijP-vbpW8lQg/s1600/IMG_4440.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
After the deep bath</div>
</div>
<div class="Body">
<span lang="EN-CA">where they breathed together</span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span lang="EN-CA">After the rug from Azerbaijan has been rolled up</span></div>
<div class="Body">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body">
<span lang="EN-CA">The deep red duvet cover</span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span lang="EN-CA">ripples</span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span lang="EN-CA">red waves spilling to the floor</span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span lang="EN-CA">reminding me of an oil painting</span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span lang="EN-CA">I saw once</span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span lang="EN-CA">in a window in the Marais</span></div>
<div class="Body">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body">
<span lang="EN-CA">Picture a man leaning over the textured fabric</span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span lang="EN-CA">intent</span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span lang="EN-CA">watching for movement</span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span lang="EN-CA">looking </span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span lang="EN-CA">for the outline of a leg</span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span lang="EN-CA">the movement of a hand</span></div>
<div class="Body">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body">
<span lang="EN-CA">His eyes lift</span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span lang="EN-CA">He looks at me</span></div>
<div class="Body">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body">
<span lang="EN-CA">There is a sound</span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span lang="EN-CA">Is it purring?</span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span lang="EN-CA">Yes</span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span lang="EN-CA">"like a tiger" he whispers</span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span lang="EN-CA">"like a lioness across the plain" I
whisper</span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span lang="EN-CA">Yes</span></div>
<div class="Body">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body">
<span lang="EN-CA">She is labouring in her cave</span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span lang="EN-CA">far from us</span></div>
<div class="Body">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body">
<span lang="EN-CA">under the fabric</span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span lang="EN-CA">hair clinging to her forehead</span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span lang="EN-CA">like a toddler's hair clings to his neck</span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span lang="EN-CA">after a nap</span></div>
<div class="Body">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body">
<span lang="EN-CA">We have our hands </span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span lang="EN-CA">light</span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span lang="EN-CA">on pulse points</span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span lang="EN-CA">hand touching ankle</span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span lang="EN-CA">hand touching wrist</span></div>
<div class="Body">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body">
<span lang="EN-CA">stillness</span></div>
<div class="Body">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body">
<span lang="EN-CA">Light crosses from the window to the bed</span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span lang="EN-CA">Lioness</span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span lang="EN-CA">Light</span></div>
<div class="Body">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body">
<span lang="EN-CA">And the baby is coming</span></div>
<div class="Body">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body">
<span lang="EN-CA">As the cherry trees</span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span lang="EN-CA">spill confetti onto the sidewalk outside</span><br />
<span lang="EN-CA"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-CA"><i>- Jacquie Munro</i></span></div>
<!--[if !mso]>
<style>
v\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
o\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
w\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
.shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
</style>
<![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>
<w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>
<w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:DontAutofitConstrainedTables/>
<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
</w:Compatibility>
</w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="276">
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0cm;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-ascii-font-family:Helvetica;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Helvetica;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
</style>
<![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1029"/>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1"/>
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
<!--EndFragment--><br />
<div class="Body">
<span lang="EN-CA"><o:p> <i>(Thanks to Grace's mum and dad for being present and slow for her birth)</i></o:p></span></div>
Jacquie Munrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700829406922054822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13826682.post-68692845199043657462013-09-25T17:07:00.001-07:002014-11-08T19:51:07.996-08:00On peat, kelp, the blowing wind, the white sand, and our DNA<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfugX2WJHD0kf89cFqXRWvriXaMgHvxhiDcQ52CfWpmP1ibBcOUpi27n41SdzRMjQKK9V_xpmDHEgBsCKYNm2d9Df71J_J0HSPtm0Ti25-NqoF61KB-yk6K5jiqA-PUbmHhO08bA/s1600/image.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfugX2WJHD0kf89cFqXRWvriXaMgHvxhiDcQ52CfWpmP1ibBcOUpi27n41SdzRMjQKK9V_xpmDHEgBsCKYNm2d9Df71J_J0HSPtm0Ti25-NqoF61KB-yk6K5jiqA-PUbmHhO08bA/s400/image.jpeg" height="226" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I've been doing a lot of family research this month, in preparation for the next bucket-list trip with my husband. This trip will take us back in time, to the Outer Hebrides, to Stornoway, to the <a href="http://www.isleofberneray.com/" target="_blank">Isle of Berneray</a>. It might take a year or more to even begin to understand this place where the Munros were "born", but we will get there. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I'm looking forward to standing, in our "weatherproof" gear, on a white sand beach, holding onto each other, face to face, hoods touching, eyes bright, hanging on for dear life in a 65 mph gale!</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The peat, the kelp, the blowing wind and the white sand are in my husband's DNA, and I love that part of him the best! However distant Berneray is in time and space, the struggles and joys of the Munros come from there, and I need to fully understand the place to fully understand him, us as a couple, and our children (the work never stops). </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">How is this connected to birthing, parenting and family? In every way.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I've been reading the Scottish census records, right back to the early 1800s, discovering large families - husband (Head) and wife (Farmer's wife), with sons and daughters - up to 13 children living with their parents in thatched blackhouses on small crofts on windswept islands on the edge of the "civilized" world. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">On the tiny Isle of Berneray, Harris, each family had a herd of sheep, a few highland cows, and a few acres of machair fertilized with dung and kelp, gathered from the beach by the family, for growing the Berneray potatoes that taste like the soil and the sea. On good days, they could fish in the calmer waters of the eastern shore. In 1851, there were just a couple of hundred people (really only about 20 families) living on Berneray in rented crofts. They were cleared from the land a few years later by the landowner and were flung away like sand. Some headed north, some south, and some crossed the seas to North America and Australia.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Our children are their great great great grandchildren.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Did these women and men have time to consider their preparedness for each new baby? How did they cope with the work load of caring for so many children? How did they cope with the fragile nature of their own life? their children's lives? Did they lie awake every night wondering what would happen to their children if they contracted consumption or pneumonia? Did the workload wash away their sadness? Or did it make it worse? </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Their joys and losses were no less powerful than our joys and losses.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">They had jobs to do. Life was hard. They sang. They got things done. They had to. They figured things out. They worked cooperatively with the other families. The mothers nursed their babies. The older children went down to the sea to gather kelp or muck out the byre. The seasons and the weather dictated what needed to be done. right. now. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">These women strapped their babies onto their bodies and just headed outside into the wind.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">This is a wind that blows so hard that you can hardly open the door.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Today, birthing a baby is still the hardest thing that you will ever do. It rocks you to your core. Your body, which takes 9 months to make a baby, takes <i>twice</i> that time to physically recover afterwards. Imagine doing that 10 times or more. (Maybe you'd be happy when your husband left to join the militia. He might leave for years to live on the mainland in barracks, but you might just have a few years free of pregnancies.)</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Today...when you approach the birth of your second child or third child, you worry whether you will get your body back, or whether that 10 extra pounds will really be yours to carry always as a reminder of your last baby. As a man you wonder how you will balance work and family. Will you need a new car? Will you lose your autonomy, your dreams, your old self? Will you lose your connection to your love, the person you married? Will you lose your couple-bond in midst of daily chores and the continual work load of caring for children in this fast-paced world? </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Will you emerge stronger together? Will you emerge together?</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Take some time to think about who your ancestors were. They worked hard for you.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Take some time.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">On our large Munro family tree, each person's life is reduced to two dates - birth and death. It stuns me. Our lives are just a blink - much too short to let things slip away unnoticed, unspoken, or unheard.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">So take some time to remember those people who lived in the wind on the edge of the world - who could not let things slip away. They lived with life and death daily. They were hardy, blunt, outspoken, fiery, but equally quick to laugh, to cry. Their gaelic psalms sound like strange wailing. They were open and flexible, ready to move like the wind. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Faced with the challenges of this busy world, we might not face imminent death daily like our ancestors, but we must still be fierce, drawing on the lessons that birth has taught us, that our ancestors have taught us, fighting to remain connected to each other as couples and as families. For ourselves. For our children. For their children.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Today, in this busy city, we still have to call to each other over the wind that is trying to blow us apart, pressing the doors shut.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">This is life. Face each other, eyes locked, laugh and hold on tight.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Blink.</span></div>
Jacquie Munrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700829406922054822noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13826682.post-5641616039976276622013-06-15T16:25:00.000-07:002014-11-08T19:52:01.391-08:00Why I Love Maps<br />
<br />
<br />
<header class="entry-header" style="background-color: white; color: #444444; float: none; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 21px; width: auto;"><h1 class="entry-title" style="border: none; color: #111111; font-family: Abel, sans-serif; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 0px 0px 0.3em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-transform: uppercase; vertical-align: baseline; word-spacing: 2px; word-wrap: break-word;">
<a href="http://traveldoula.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/p1000449.jpg" style="-webkit-transition: all 0.18s ease-out; border: none; color: #0da4d3; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; line-height: 21px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="Jacquie reading a map on a hike in the Peak District" class="size-medium wp-image-49" src="http://traveldoula.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/p1000449.jpg?w=225&h=300" height="300" style="-webkit-transition: all 0.18s ease-out; border: 0px; height: auto; margin: 0px 0px 5px; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: middle;" width="225" /></a></h1>
</header><br />
<div class="entry-content clear-fix" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; line-height: 21px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<div class="wp-caption alignnone" id="attachment_49" style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; height: auto; margin: 5px 0px 1.75em; max-width: 100%; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 235px;">
<div class="wp-caption-text" style="border: 0px; color: #888888; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1em; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-top: 5px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-style: inherit; line-height: 21px;">Why do I love maps? </span></div>
<div class="wp-caption-text" style="border: 0px; color: #888888; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1em; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-top: 5px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-style: inherit; line-height: 21px;">Why would I never use GPS?</span></div>
<div class="wp-caption-text" style="border: 0px; color: #888888; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1em; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-top: 5px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-style: inherit; line-height: 21px;">It’s all about the story.</span></div>
</div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 1.75em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">For me, the journey tells a story – as important as the destination. GPS is just about the destination – its clinical precision can be both boring and utterly wrong. When you can read a map well, you are able to tease out the stories in the landscape. You can see how the new road follows an old riverbed, skirts an iron-age fort, or marches ramrod straight along a Roman road. You can see how a town lies on a raised beach, even though it is now 10 miles inland.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 1.75em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">In my work as a doula, I see each woman as a having unique body map for each pregnancy. My job is to read the map of the woman and help her navigate the journey. How does her past inform her present body and its response in labour? I read the tightness here, the release there. I follow the path of the acceptance or the fight. The emotional wounds rise up like a raised beach. It is all visible and easily read unless a piece of the map is missing. I can search for months for that missing piece. I read the journey of the body and the baby, the traveller.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 1.75em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Where did this love of maps, of the landscape and of the body, come from? It all started (as it always does) in childhood.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 1.75em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I was trained in map-reading by my dad. He was a cartographer and artist (with a love of geology), and I remember sitting beside him at his drafting board adding trees to the UBC map he was working on. He taught me how maps were created, how he would layer transparencies over the base. He taught me how to read the layers like a story, and how to make the two dimensional world turn into 3D in my mind. Whenever we went on road trips, he would put my brother and me in charge of the map and the AAA book, and we would act as navigators from the backseat. We could read contour lines, read the glacial effects on the landscape, call out igneous! and sedimentary!, then point out all the 3-star motels with swimming pools. In the winter, we would read Country Life magazines, and write longhand letters to faraway places to request information. We would write to consulates and visit the BCAA to collect maps, and study study study. I can still smell those new maps. I could visualize (and connect with) what a bird must see and feel flying over the British countryside. My dad’s descriptions and the map contours turned into real images in my head. Then, when we landed in the UK in 1966 (after an emergency landing in sulfuric Iceland), I remember seeing the patchwork green fields and being amazed that it was exactly as my dad had described. “Look at the tiny cars!” he would say, as we were circling the airport. “They look like ants!” I was hooked on maps, hooked on changes in perception, hooked on travel.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 1.75em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">My dad told stories of escaping grimy Manchester and cycling through Derbyshire with friends in the late 1930s, following metal signposts to places like Pott Shrigley (all signs point to Pott Shrigley – I know!), camping in farmer’s fields, then riding up to the Cat and Fiddle Pub on top of a peak and watching the smokey towns below. He would show me the map and tell me stories that brought the Peak District to life, from the plague village of Eyam, to the moveable landscape of Chatsworth House. My mother would add stories of the midwives (who taught prenatal yoga in the 1950s) riding their bikes from house to house in the village, and I would trace my finger over the lines on the map and imagine myself riding my bike along those lines. (Did my wish to attend births start then?)</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 1.75em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Fast forward to 1982, when Bob and I took our first overseas trip together. By that time, we both felt like veteran European travelers (8 trips between us, and he had lived there with his intrepid family in the 1960s). So we combined our passions and skills and headed off. We went to the places that we had loved as children – to “Squirrel’s Wood” in Elstead, where he had lived, to the Yorkshire Dales where his dad had been stationed during the Second World War, and to the Peak District, where my dad would ride, where my heart still lives. Bob mowed my gran’s lawn in Manchester, and ate chocolate eclairs on her path in the sunshine. We stayed on a farm in Somerset at lambing season (I’m never far from birthing mammals), and had a stand-off with a large cow on a bridge in Dorset. We took a ferry to France, stayed in high-ceilinged creaky hotels for 20 Francs and ate tureens of Potage de Legumes in Laon and the Loire (epic)! Our Renault (which we filled with diesel once – seriously) had been bought just for us by a small garage in Crawley, and after an epic repair, that little car took us thousands of miles across the roads of France and Switzerland. We ended the trip with Bob dreaming of owning a sheep farm in Scotland, and me dreaming of helping the sheep birth in the middle of the night.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 1.75em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">When I do my client visits, I draw from their stories of their travels to India, Italy, or Guatemala. Each physical journey that they have taken teaches them something about their own bodies, their responses, their patience, their strength. They climb mountains one step at a time. They cry, “I don’t think I can do this!”on the West Coast Trail, but they do it! I add each of their stories to my own map of their body for later reference. My own daughter says she was kelp in her birth pool in labour. I add the new word “kelp” onto my map of her - connecting her labour to the water of Boundary Bay, the beach at Point Roberts, her cousin Graham dragging giant strands of kelp up to the cabin, then her sons Jack, then Finn, diving into the world head first and feet first.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 1.75em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">So when I stand with Bob on a path in the Luberon, listening to the sound of the cicadas, I look down at the map in my hands and see all the possible routes before us. I see the traced path, and below that, I see a layer of the red soil, and, below that, the geological history of the land. But, I also see the layered stories and histories of all those who have stood on the path, see their labours and births, see children running ahead to that cave over there, see our son and daughter-in-law climbing to Fort Buoux, see my parents driving the road to Apt, see my brother and his wife cycling towards Bedoin in the distance, and see all the lines that each person has traced on this particular spot.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 1.75em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">There’s no need for GPS.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 1.75em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">It is the journey that tells the story, in life and in birth. Maps are drawn on our bodies layer upon layer… and are held within us.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 1.75em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">- Jacquie Munro www.slowbirth.com</span></div>
</div>
Jacquie Munrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700829406922054822noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13826682.post-87883029848151509422013-06-11T15:01:00.000-07:002014-11-08T19:52:27.948-08:00A note from Teddy's mama<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/405814_10151144277769609_745651604_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" aria-busy="false" aria-describedby="fbPhotosSnowliftCaption" border="0" class="spotlight" height="400" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/405814_10151144277769609_745651604_n.jpg" style="background-color: transparent;" width="266" /></a></div>
<div style="background-color: #fffffe; color: #111111; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Lyndsay's birth was an emotional triumph. It had been a challenging pregnancy, but she faced it one day at a time. She gathered together her team - family, friends, doula, doctor. On the sunny birthing day, my memory is of so many women (including her sister, as well as her dear friend who had also been my client) - our hands, our quiet voices, and our hearts, helping Lyndsay through the waves. I say waves because most of her time at the hospital was spent in the bath. Low toning, the splash of the water...our words...you are safe...you are safe... Those are my memories of the day. I don't think her eyes ever opened until her son was born into her arms, and then...what joy! Her birth was open, raw, supported, undisturbed. It was a day that I will never forget!</span></div>
<div style="background-color: #fffffe; color: #111111; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Here are Lyndsay's words describing how I helped her on that day...and how we are still connected now:</span></div>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Jacquie is an incredible woman. Her strength, knowledge, compassion, empathy, understanding, calm, wisdom and experience carried me through my nine months of pregnancy. I had a particularly rough one, emotionally, as at the time I was on my own. Jacquie was never judgemental, always empathetic to the diversity and complexity of humans. She always, always had words that were so wise and thoughtful, words which would would allow me to feel supported and just a little bit stronger. I called her many times in tears, unsure if I could do it, overwhelmed by the uncertainty of my situation and the unknown world of pregnancy and childbirth.</i> </span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i></i><i>The day of my son's birth arrived and Jacquie led me through every contraction, movement, sound, emotion, sensation. It was her words that calmed me and allowed me to realize that my body was just doing its thing. "Feels crazy but it's safe." She would tell me I was safe, that my body was doing what it was meant to be doing, that even though it felt like I was trying to pass a bowling ball out of my vagina that this feeling, this immense and unbelievable physical pressure, was normal. I felt no fear - I closed my eyes, gave in to these unknown sensations and knew I was in a safe place. Just had to move through. I must have crushed Jacquie's hand about 50 times through the labour.</i> </span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>After it was all over Jacquie told me she knew from the moment she met me that my birth would be as it was: powerful, strong, no complications. I apparently birthed like a champ. I needed to feel that - I needed that insane strength, to feel that power of being a woman warrior, to overcome my emotional and personal sadness and to embrace labour and birth. I thank Jacquie for this. Jacquie will forever remain a huge part of my memory of my pregnancy and birth experience! She was also so helpful in postpartum -nursing issues and ongoing personal issues - and I truly felt cared for by her. </i><i>I can't recommend Jacquie enough!</i></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Go to <a href="http://doulamatch.net/profile/6906/jacquie-munro" target="_blank">DoulaMatch</a> to read a few more "testimonials" from my many amazing clients!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><b>- Jacquie Munro, Vancouver Doula, Slow Birth</b></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><b><br /></b></i>
<i><b>Photo Credit: <a href="http://jonetsuphotography.com/" target="_blank">Jonetsu Photography</a></b></i></span>Jacquie Munrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700829406922054822noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13826682.post-71115377096780386582013-05-30T21:55:00.003-07:002014-11-08T19:52:46.372-08:00What does it take to have an intervention-free birth?<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>
<w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>
<w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:DontAutofitConstrainedTables/>
<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
<w:UseFELayout/>
</w:Compatibility>
</w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="276">
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0cm;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-ascii-font-family:"Tw Cen MT";
mso-hansi-font-family:"Tw Cen MT";
mso-fareast-language:JA;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw_G1Slq8rwcT1pc0iSsP4ObX7M-uvuRtc9qv1i-HX3VwM7UdSDCGfnJcBMjZvs80f6xuhB6SFE1G4WmMoXsgyIX4A9oZ3EPBzChwzfKu7Kc_X8gK9ndW808MvDWPFQWae-xKaNg/s1600/IMG_8678.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw_G1Slq8rwcT1pc0iSsP4ObX7M-uvuRtc9qv1i-HX3VwM7UdSDCGfnJcBMjZvs80f6xuhB6SFE1G4WmMoXsgyIX4A9oZ3EPBzChwzfKu7Kc_X8gK9ndW808MvDWPFQWae-xKaNg/s320/IMG_8678.jpg" height="285" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>(Laughing at 5cm)</i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
According to a <a href="http://www.perinatalservicesbc.ca/NR/rdonlyres/188752E7-6D01-4C8A-BF52-2F75F056058D/0/CoreSurveillanceQuarterlyReportFeb2013.pdf"><span style="color: #193aa2;">Perinatal Services BC</span></a> report, in the first
quarter of 2013 almost 1 in 3 (31.7%) women in BC gave birth by cesarean
section, and 1 in 5 women (20.1%) were induced. These are the highest rates of
cesarean and induced deliveries ever recorded in BC and it forces me to reflect
on how things have changed over the past 26 years.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I just re-read the Statistics Canada paper
(1996) <a href="http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/82-003-x/1996001/article/2822-eng.pdf"><span style="color: #193aa2;">"Declining Cesarean Rates: A Continuing Trend?"</span></a> and
felt a twinge of nostalgia. Take a look at the study. The cesarean rate in
BC during my first year as a doula (1987) was 21.9%, and a few years later in
1992 and 1993 the rate was <b>declining!</b> At that time, there was
hope that the overall cesarean rate would continue to drop, with the goal of
reaching the World Health Organization's recommended "medically
warranted" cesarean rate of 10-15%. One local study (<a href="http://www.jfponline.com/Pages.asp?AID=2179"><span style="color: #193aa2;">Janssen, Klein and
Soolsma, 2001</span></a>) found that Burnaby Hospital had a cesarean rate
of 10.3% in 1995, which was appreciably less than the BC Women's Hospital rate
of 22.9% (less than half an hour's drive away). They concluded that
"Differences in use of epidural analgesia may contribute to differences in
institutional rates of cesarean delivery. Use of epidural analgesia may be
related to use of ambulation, consistency of caregiver during labor,
availability of epidural, and suggestion for its use by caregivers." What
does this mean for birthing women? It means, as <a href="http://cfpcwp.com/MCDG/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/1-s2.0-S1877575612000511-main2.pdf">more
recent studies</a> suggest, that inductions and epidurals –
technology that have become more and more common throughout my years of doula
practice – are influencing the rising cesarean rate.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=13826682" name="_GoBack"></a><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But why are inductions and epidurals more common
now than two decades ago? What has shifted in the past 26 years in the general
population? I'm currently working on compiling and analyzing the statistics for
my first 1000 clients and it looks as though their intervention rates have been
consistent over time. Just to give you a snapshot of recent births, of my 18
clients in the first quarter of 2013, the cesarean rate was 5.5% (1), the
induction rate was 11.1% (2), and the rate of epidural use was 22% (4). Here’s
what happened:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
</div>
<ul><ul>
<li><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">The lone
client who gave birth by cesarean was over 40 and had been induced at 40
weeks. (Have you heard of the </span><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-21277369" style="text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="color: #193aa2;">40 at 40</span></a><span style="text-indent: -18pt;"> trend?
What are your thoughts?)</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">The second
induced client had prolonged ruptured membranes and gave birth without any
other interventions - almost birthing her baby in the bathroom!</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Two of the
four epidurals were planned in advance, due to non-pregnancy-related medical
conditions.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Among
other clients who used analgesia, one woman was given a shot of morphine and
gravol (and gave birth without complications or any other medications) and two
women used nitrous oxide gas after reaching 8cm dilation (and while remaining
mobile).</span></li>
</ul>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Without an induction or epidural, how did <b>78% </b>(14/18) of
my clients manage the power of their labour? Are my stats low because my
clients are highly motivated to avoid interventions? Do they all deliver at
home or with midwifery care? Do they avoid cultural messages that describe
birth as risky and dangerous? <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Maybe the women in 2013 are totally different than
in the 1980s. Twenty-six years ago, the average age of birthing women was much
lower than today. So are the high cesarean, epidural, and induction rates in BC
related to the increase in older first-time mothers? That could be true. But,
the majority of my clients are well over age 30, with 22% over age 40. So that
idea doesn't explain the low intervention rates among my clients (though I’m
going to explore the influence of age and other potential sociodemographic
confounders in my case series analysis).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And, yes, my clients would all love to avoid a
cesarean. But, those who are planning a home birth are the first to acknowledge
that they don't know what their body or their baby will need on the "birth
day." My client can be motivated and keep calm, but if her baby is in face
presentation or if her placenta is lying over the cervix, there’s no choice in
the matter. Her only option is a cesarean. The baby and body like to play the
wild card. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And while many of my clients plan a home delivery
with midwives, I work equally as often with clients cared for by physicians. We
can try to make the hospital environment as homelike and undisturbed as
possible, but when there is only one available birthing room and 5 women in the
assessment room, and all the nitrous oxide tanks in the hospital are empty... you will be disturbed, your labour will
be disturbed, and your probability of having a cesarean will increase! (Yes,
that scene was played out the other day at BC Women's.) Each statistic
has a real woman's story within it. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
All my clients hear friends and family say,
"Get an epidural!" at some point during pregnancy. They have
all heard other women recount horror stories (why must we do that???). And many
have daily phone calls from those near and dear to them who inadvertently
undermine their confidence. "Why would you think YOU could birth without
drugs? I didn't. Just book your cesarean!" Women’s motivation can be
severely impacted by the daily onslaught of negative images.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But in trying to understand why my clients’
intervention rates are so low, there's one piece of the statistical puzzle that
really compels me. <b><i>The average dilation upon admittance at hospital
for the epidural and no-epidural groups</i></b>. The two women who had
unplanned epidurals arrived at hospital at an average of 3.5cm. Those 14
who didn't have epidurals comprised of 7 successful homebirths (71% were having
their first baby), and 7 hospital births (average arrival dilation upon arrival
was 7cm). Does arriving at the hospital later in labour make a difference?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now, I can't conclude that arrival at hospital at
7cm will <b><i>never</i></b> result in the need for an epidural or a cesarean.
But, it certainly increases your chances of having a smooth, intervention
free birth if you arrive at hospital in active labour. Every client and their
partner who birthed without an epidural or cesarean said that, if I hadn't been
with them at home, they would have driven to the hospital hours and hours earlier.
Many women said their advanced dilation gave them incredible confidence -
"I couldn't believe I was 9cm when I arrived! When I heard that number, I
knew I could do it!"<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, my thought is that, taken together, these approaches
account for my low epidural, induction, and cesarean rates: a positive
attitude, low stress, low disturbance levels, late arrival at the hospital (as
long as the woman is in contact with her caregiver, who is supportive of the
plan), great support, as well as many other low-tech options – movement
(walking, dancing, swaying, spiraling, lunging), position changes, water
(shower, tub), sound (singing, toning, talking, music) as well as continuous physical and
emotional support (from me and their partner and team). All of my clients who
used those tools went on to have spontaneous "slow and simple" vaginal births. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>- Jacquie Munro</i></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Jacquie Munrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700829406922054822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13826682.post-18638082564711271832013-05-29T09:38:00.001-07:002014-11-08T19:52:57.231-08:00Texting: Trends in Doula Life<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="data:image/jpeg;base64,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" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="rg_i" data-sz="f" name="4V_HSZKKIeuUdM:" src="data:image/jpeg;base64,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" style="height: 183px; margin-top: -6px; width: 275px;" /></a></div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>One more thing...she now officially hates being on her back. She will sleep so peacefully </i><br />
<i>on us then the second we put her down she goes nuts. :) Oh the questions.</i></blockquote>
That is just one of the text messages that I've received this week. Day or night, weekday or weekend (as my husband will attest!) the messages flow in from clients who are pregnant, newly birthed, or even facing their first nursing strike at 6 months!<br />
<br />
I quickly reply by text, which releases a flurry of iPhone alert sounds. Um...I'd better phone her. My husband and I are good at taking long walks arm in arm, communicating by hand signals, while I'm calming a client on the phone. Forty-five minutes later, I hang up, confident that we have covered all of today's fears (at 41+ weeks, with no baby in sight, there's a lot to cover!) (p.s. She went into spontaneous labour the next day!)<br />
<br />
Each morning, I check in with my clients who have just given birth. Many times, it's an opening move of an hour long phone chat. Other times, my text "How was your night?" or "How's breastfeeding going today?" results in these responses from new mamas...<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Breast feeding is pretty good, working on getting a better and more productive latch but overall she feeds great. She is already above her birth weight! (mama at 3 days)</i></blockquote>
or<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Had a phenomenal night. 3 feeds each 3 hrs apart and she went straight back to sleep. It was bliss. (mama at 6 days)</i></blockquote>
or<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>She seems inconcolable at night she will feed well at 10 then sleep three hours then one hour naps I'm exhaused (mama at 13 days)</i></blockquote>
<br />
Some women need to see their midwife, family doctor, or lactation consultant, or they might need the name of a good postpartum doula service. Which one above do you think needed a referral? But most women just need to hear me say "I hear you". Jacquie pep talks are famous!<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>You've breastfed successfully before. Confidence (even if you fake it) is key, because your baby is a sponge for feelings. If you're calm, she'll be calm. If you're freaking out...well... (Day 1)</i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Trust your instincts and keep her skin to skin and nursing as much as humanly possible today and tonight. (Day 2)</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Anticipate another mega feeding (aka breastfeeding bootcamp) night. Try to beat 12 feeds in 24 hours then your milk should be in tomorrow. (Day 3)</i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Just a reminder that no baby will self-wean before 18 months. Anything that appears like rejection is probably a short-lived nursing strike. Is he teething? Please call me. (7 months)</i></blockquote>
But it's not just the women who send me text messages. The dads, the partners, the grandmothers, the midwives, the lactation consultants and the family docs - they all check in. Because this is a team effort!<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Hopefully she will feel good about the experience and her decision making. (Family doctor after a birth)</i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Sounds like still early labour but progressing... (snippet of long family doctor update about a client at home)</i></blockquote>
Or I will send an update to the client's caregiver (with their permission):<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>She's thrilled that something is happening. We had a good walk. I came home for dinner. I'll check in with her in a bit. I hope it's tonight! (41 weeks, and baby was born before breakfast.)</i></blockquote>
When one physician heard that I connect with postpartum clients and caregivers by text, he said, "I like to go the old-fashioned way and meet them face to face." Oh, absolutely! I agree that face to face is best, but is it practical on a daily basis? Does it meet the clients' needs? When a breastfeeding mama is curled up on a sofa and wants to know if she can bath her baby, is it really best to bundle up the baby into a carseat and take a trip across town for a 5 minute doctor visit?<br />
<br />
Many postpartum questions do not require a medical visit. Sometimes, just a woman to woman (aka doula) chat is needed. Often, postpartum women just need me to say, "It's a crazy ride, but it's normal!" Face to face is best, but I can also offer an immediate virtual hug via text before popping over for a home visit. Or if my answer to their question is, "I don't know the answer myself, but I know who does," I can recommend that the woman calls her caregiver to make an appointment. One of the reasons why midwifery care is so exemplary is that, in BC, midwives provide multiple postpartum home visits. And the family practice doctors here are always waiting for a call. My text and phone messages (and Facetime chats) bridge the gap between my clients' visits with their caregivers (and myself)...and boy, do my clients appreciate that!Jacquie Munrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700829406922054822noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13826682.post-3064565519453377232013-05-22T16:43:00.000-07:002014-11-08T19:55:25.660-08:00Conversations with babies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDiAAZeqYTUYu3UElI42RoR4uWXAM0NTmSjHnSa42FVa_s-YkSYOfCuqcT3tsHmSaadmN1UdvkgFG2iRbZFaS8ME6sAKAGmPq92j_MzKMQfPsQcTxqr9eoVoEN_08aFKt0DhWy7A/s1600/IMG_3824.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDiAAZeqYTUYu3UElI42RoR4uWXAM0NTmSjHnSa42FVa_s-YkSYOfCuqcT3tsHmSaadmN1UdvkgFG2iRbZFaS8ME6sAKAGmPq92j_MzKMQfPsQcTxqr9eoVoEN_08aFKt0DhWy7A/s320/IMG_3824.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
I was at a home birth many years ago. The new mother had nursed the baby, and was just drying off after showering (and chatting to her husband about what had just happened!), while I was quietly tidying the bedroom. As the parents came out of the bathroom, shining and clean, the midwife approached the baby, who was lying in a moses basket. With the parents' permission, the midwife was going to do the newborn exam. She leaned close to the baby, and said something like..."Hello - I'm Patti. I'd like to pick you up and weigh you and measure you." She waited a moment, then gently picked up the baby. Each movement during the newborn exam was preceded by an explanation of what she was doing. She moved slowly. She held the baby respectfully. "Babies are not fragile, but they are vulnerable," she explained to the new dad, as she moved her finger along the baby's spine. The baby was engaged, focused on Patti's words. The baby was content to be weighed and measured by these calm hands, washed by calm words. <br />
<br />
I had always spoken to my own babies and clients' babies as people, as equals, but what Patti was doing took it to another level. "I'm going to put a diaper on you now (pause)..." She provided ample time for the baby to take in her request and respond. She was asking the baby to be a partner in a conversation, right from birth. She was also modeling a wonderful slow parenting method which the parents then continued with their baby as he grew.<br />
<div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
When Jack and Finn were newborns, I didn't want to interrupt their time with their mum and dad by holding them too much (unless a parent had been "touched out" and needed a quiet moment in the bathroom!). Before picking one up, I would tell him what I was going to do and pause for a (then silent) response. I still go through a day with the boys, telling them what will happen next, what we've just done, and how our day will flow. The rhythm helps them to make sense of their world, and shows that we respect their need to understand the world. They are active, and <i>now very vocal</i>, participants in the conversation. "We'll go to grandmama's house, and then she will give us scones!" How we parent our babies at birth flows through the toddler, then preschool, then school years. Everything is connected.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Montessori teachers have practiced this for a long time. <a href="http://www.montessori.edu/0-3firstyeartext.html">Michael Olaf </a>says, "Gentle handling from birth on also builds trust in the world. Talk to the child gently, explaining what you are doing as you dress and change him. Provide soft clothing, peace, and soft lights, in the first days as the child is getting used to the world outside the womb. We can learn to listen to the sounds a baby makes, to watch quietly, observe, see what the child is trying to tell us, and to get to know this unique human, giving the message that the child is cherished and the world is a safe place." </div>
<br />
<a href="http://www.wholefamily.com/parent-center/child-development/that-which-is-asleep-will-awaken-rudolph-steiner-on-babies">Rudolf Steiner</a> stated that a newborn is a "sense-organ" (she is a sponge for touch and sound and movement and taste). Parents should pay close attention to the sensual input surrounding their newborn, limiting their time outside in loud traffic or having noisy toys in the first years. Babies take some time to "come into their body", so our words and movements and their environment should be respectful and calm. I especially love Rahima Baldwin's book, <a href="http://www.waldorfinthehome.org/you-are-your-childs-first-teacher.html">"You are Your Child's First Teacher"</a>, which points to practical ways to bring this gentle Waldorf approach into your home. It was only after about two years that Jack and Finn were able to process the overwhelming sensory input of a crowded space. Slow and quiet outdoor green spaces were more their style, and we respected and honoured their needs by keeping the pace slow for a few years. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Magda Gerber, one of the founders of <a href="http://www.rie.org/" target="_blank">RIE</a>, the new "hot" (and slow parenting) approach, said “We not only respect babies, we demonstrate our respect every time we interact with them. Respecting a child means treating even the youngest infant as a unique human being, not as an object.” Talking to our babies about what will happen next helps them to feel safe in the world, and helps parents develop a sense of rhythm. Describing what you will do next, calmly and slowly, will also ensure that you remain connected with your baby, and reminds you to slow down. You don't need swings or bouncers or extra props. With the RIE approach, a lot of pressure is taken off the parent. You can let the baby lie on the floor watching a sunbeam or the geometric line of a table leg. You can slow down and see the world from your baby's perspective. This is the start of child-led learning. For more info on the basics of RIE, take a look at <a href="http://www.janetlansbury.com/2013/01/the-surprisingly-positive-results-of-respectful-parenting-5-rie-baby-basics/" target="_blank">Janet Lansbury's blog</a> and see if her posts resonate with you. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Explore the ideas in the <a href="http://theparentingpassageway.com/2009/07/06/a-waldorf-parenting-perspective-wont-choices-strengthen-my-childs-will/" target="_blank">Waldorf</a>, <a href="http://www.attachmentparenting.org/parentingtopics/lifewithbabybalance.php" target="_blank">Attachment Parenting</a>, <a href="http://www.dailymontessori.com/montessori-age-0-6-months/" target="_blank">Montessori</a>, <a href="http://www.janetlansbury.com/category/parenting/" target="_blank">RIE</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slow_parenting" target="_blank">Slow parenting</a> approaches and see what makes sense to you and your family. Each will offer you some great parenting tools...and, to quote one client, "There are some ideas that I just want to throw a book at!" Take what you like and throw a book at the rest.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Through these conversations with your baby, you will start to develop your own family philosophy, "the big picture", that will lead you through all the years of parenting. Our own slow family philosophy includes a lot of "Cs". I see us as <i>caring</i> for our children, with <i>conversation, connection, consideration </i>and <i>consistency</i>. Our children do not <i>belong</i> to us, they belong to themselves, but we're in this together. What's your family's philosophy? Or are you still pregnant and waiting to hear what your baby says?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Respect for our child's autonomy starts with our first conversation. "Here's my breast. This side is the appetizer. The next side is the entree. I think you're going to like it!" Wait...listen with your heart...and your baby will answer.</div>
<div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Jacquie Munrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700829406922054822noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13826682.post-23161506930794258372013-05-18T08:38:00.000-07:002014-11-08T19:55:38.601-08:00The Lumineers playing...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHOZPLZoYRKnoIRv8cUIciAMnFeZSxRh5lo9t-MlzbYBrejR-a0eDydyOxJhbkRB6wo1uZDvT_eu2LOnMu25y_0ke4ljVgAaJCQCxBldd-MXw4QqeRMv8gDggH7acc5oiXQ8VIyg/s1600/IMG_8657.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHOZPLZoYRKnoIRv8cUIciAMnFeZSxRh5lo9t-MlzbYBrejR-a0eDydyOxJhbkRB6wo1uZDvT_eu2LOnMu25y_0ke4ljVgAaJCQCxBldd-MXw4QqeRMv8gDggH7acc5oiXQ8VIyg/s320/IMG_8657.jpg" height="320" width="239" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">A woman spiraling</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">a partner drawing</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">a woman in the shower</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">a cat watching</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">a doula holding</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">a fan blowing</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">a strong woman</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">a boy crying</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">a midwife whispering</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">a bird singing</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">a grandma helping</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">a boy in the rain</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">a lost cat</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">a push</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">a pant</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">a baby at home!</span><br />
<div role="article" style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; line-height: 14px; text-align: left;">
<div class="_1x1" style="margin: 15px 0px; padding: 0px;">
<div class="userContentWrapper">
<div class="_wk" style="line-height: 18px;">
<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="_wk" style="line-height: 18px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">(Photo courtesy of dad Chad Smith. Extra love always to mum Carie. Love to midwives Gillian and Carolyn and Patti. Hugs to grandma Smith and big brother Bruce, the boy in the rain...and the cats. And kisses to bonny Alice.)</span></i></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Jacquie Munrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700829406922054822noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13826682.post-78035748412554966162013-05-10T17:45:00.002-07:002014-11-08T19:53:58.612-08:00Cascade of interventions in first-time mothers with term births who experienced labourToday, the report <a href="https://www.childbirthconnection.org/article.asp?ck=10450" target="_blank">"Listening to Mothers III: Pregnancy and Birth"</a> was released. I saw that the data suggested that the highest percentage of cesareans came from the induction group. Their chart is below:<br />
<br />
<img alt="" aria-busy="false" aria-describedby="fbPhotosSnowliftCaption" class="spotlight" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc1/249081_10151567273823788_1217559632_n.jpg" style="height: 575px; width: 540px;" /><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I looked at my own data from the past 12 months (N=30) for first-time mothers at term who experienced labour (so gone are the multip births, the scheduled cesareans for placenta previa, the premature births, etc.) Of the 87% of clients who did not have an induction, there were NO cesareans. Of the 13% of clients who had inductions, 100% of them had epidurals and 50% of those women had cesareans. Overall, of the 30 clients who fit the criteria (two were at home), the epidural rate was 40% and the overall cesarean rate was 13%. The numbers are small, but they still closely mirror the large study. Interesting stuff.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJzSKmgqHUJjxNNiPZCY7oOj9tBBL5bLHhcZs5gtrupoM26-krA6SaTO1Umol7YjjAgNXO43FG059ayXO9KDDDRrNaTUboIeqbn1pgs7G23LLkSUqH495cs10Ri6Ak8iq0SUSY_g/s1600/InductionFlowChart2013.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJzSKmgqHUJjxNNiPZCY7oOj9tBBL5bLHhcZs5gtrupoM26-krA6SaTO1Umol7YjjAgNXO43FG059ayXO9KDDDRrNaTUboIeqbn1pgs7G23LLkSUqH495cs10Ri6Ak8iq0SUSY_g/s400/InductionFlowChart2013.jpeg" height="213" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
I will publish my complete stats for the past few years soon, and will tease out some more of the interesting results, including VBACs (I believe the past year's VBAC success rate was 100%), home birth stats, and more.<br />
<br />
Enjoy!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Jacquie Munrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700829406922054822noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13826682.post-12819571309650675002013-05-10T08:46:00.000-07:002014-11-08T19:54:21.114-08:00"I see someone has been food shopping!"<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>
<w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>
<w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:DontAutofitConstrainedTables/>
<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
</w:Compatibility>
</w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="276">
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0cm;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>“I see someone has
been food shopping!”<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>One little sentence
spoken by one little boy, <o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>In an epic pose, <o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Hand on hip,<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Peering into my fridge.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>We
just looked at each other <o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Eyes shining<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>And we laughed!<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>It was a simple
statement.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At three years old, Finn knows that his Dagum (Grandad) and
I (Deecy) keep quite an empty fridge. We tend to do European-style daily shopping
for our meals - whatever we can carry home in baskets or on my bike. We eat very well. He was
just genuinely surprised to see that we’d filled the fridge before he (and
Jack, of course) arrived for a sleepover.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But, what if an adult had said that to me? Would those words
have been interpreted as a comment on my (lack of) organizational skills? If I
had just announced a pregnancy, or embarked on a postpartum weight loss challenge,
think of the potential impact. My confidence would have been shaken. I might
even remember the comment for a lifetime.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Does she think I bought the wrong stuff? Is she going to
critique me on my fruit purchases? Do I have too much dairy? Too much carbs? I
shouldn’t be eating meat…or maybe I should? So glad she didn’t open the
freezer! She just eats nuts and seeds.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yes, Finn’s innocent comment started me thinking about how
much we read into what other people say to us, especially when we are pregnant.
“What was she implying when she said that?” “Was he judging me?” The resulting
guilt and loss of confidence can really shake us to the core. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I still remember the sleepless nights spent thinking about my
weight gain (or lack thereof) and eating habits (or urges) during my
pregnancies, just as clearly as if it was yesterday. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At 16 weeks in my first pregnancy, I had a nutritional
consultation at our local health unit. I’d had to record my food intake for a
week. “Not enough cheese, I see,”
said the nutritionist, shaking her head. “Not enough crackers. You’ll have to
add more snacks throughout the day – cheese and crackers.” She looked me in the
eye. I’m sure she would have been fine if I ate something different, but I
spent the rest of my pregnancy scouting out different cheeses and something
other than Carr’s water biscuits.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I had an obstetrician (for no particular reason). At 35 weeks,
he said, “Let’s see if you’ve grown <i>this
week.” </i>Yes, there were italics in his voice.<i> </i>All I could think was, “Didn’t I
grow <i>last week</i>? What’s with the
emphasis?” I went home and worried. At 38 weeks, I was sent for an
ultrasound "for suspected IUGR"...growth RETARDATION???, and told to expect a baby under six pounds at birth, and told to eat more.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At 40 weeks, I stood on the scale so the nurse could weigh
me. I had gained fifteen pounds in a week! “Oh, my!” said the nurse. “You’ve been
eating some good meals this week!” I looked down, shocked, but then I started
laughing. I was holding heavy shopping bags in each hand! It wasn’t until I was
home that I felt the true absurdity of the situation. If I had been able to
weigh myself (or even been given the right to NOT be weighed) like an autonomous
healthy adult, I certainly wouldn’t be recalling this event 26 years later! </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
No one ever asked about our food habits. No one knew that we rode our bikes to Granville Island to buy our food, cooked wonderful meals, and grew our own summer vegetables.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Just to let you
know…at birth, my daughter was a happy chunky 8.5 pounds…cheese or no cheese.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In contrast, during my second pregnancy, I was in charge of
my chart. I wrote down my weight (if I liked) and checked my urine myself
before each prenatal visit. I was
treated as an adult. I was trusted. We talked about nutrition, sharing recipes
and ideas and laughing about the comedy of pregnancy. No judgment. No
pronouncements. All the comments were positive. “Oh, what a bonny baby!” didn’t
make me worry that I was eating the wrong food. It filled me with pride and
confidence. I’d made a bonny baby! The experienced hands palpating my uterus
belonged to Sheena Mavis. She described my pelvis as “cavernous,” so I could easily
imagine birthing my baby (who, after a joyful labour, turned out to be a
slippery 9.5 pounds).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What astonishes me is that my clients still describe similar critiques of their weight gain or
food intake. “It makes me feel like a child,” said one client recently. “I
can’t even be trusted to weigh myself or eat properly. I have a <a href="http://www.farmfolkcityfolk.ca/resources/knowledge-pantry/csa/" target="_blank">CSA</a> and my caregiver has no clue!” (We laughed together!) Don't think that one caregiver type or another make these comments - it's across the board. We all say these things. Thoughtless comments (without any implied meaning) can have such a negative impact. Rather than expecting people to stop making these comments, we must become more informed and increase our confidence in our bodies.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We need to arm ourselves with the best evidence, so these
comments won’t touch us. I love how the current <a href="http://www.bcprenatalscreening.ca/sites/prenatal2/files/Guideline_19.pdf" target="_blank">BC Maternity Care Pathway</a> comments on the practice of weighing a woman in pregnancy,
<b><i>“Some women may not wish to be weighed regularly. Since the evidence for any
benefit is not strong, the woman’s preference should be a consideration.”</i> </b>It
recommends that caregivers “advise women to refer to <a href="http://www.healthypregnancybc.ca/" target="_blank">Healthy Pregnancy BC</a>, a BC
online resource for women related to healthy eating and healthy weight gain.”
It expects that women can be trusted to educate themselves about healthy eating
and weight regulation in pregnancy.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The <a href="http://pathways.nice.org.uk/pathways/antenatal-care#path=view%3A/pathways/antenatal-care/routine-care-for-all-pregnant-women.xml&content=view-node%3Anodes-antenatal-interventions-not-routinely-recommended" target="_blank">UK NICE guidelines </a>(which I love for its simplicity and clarity) lists “antenatal interventions not routinely recommended”,
which include:</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: Symbol;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Repeated maternal weighing </span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -18pt;"> Iron or vitamin A supplements </span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -18pt;"> Ultrasound estimation of fetal size for
suspected large-for-gestational age unborn babies </span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -18pt;"> Routine ultrasound scanning after 24 weeks </span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -18pt;"> Gestational diabetes screening using fasting
plasma glucose, random blood glucose, glucose challenge test or urinalysis for
glucose</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
For more information, go to <a href="http://www.healthcanada.gc.ca/foodguide" target="_blank">Eating Well</a>, <a href="http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/nutrition/weights-poids/guide-%20ld-adult/bmi_chart_java-graph_imc_java-eng.php" target="_blank">BMI Calculator</a>, <a href="http://www.healthypregnancybc.ca/" target="_blank">Healthy Eating</a>, have fun walking to the Farm Markets, and, if you really need to enter a supermarket, make it as organic as you can, and cruise the outer rim of the store (where the unprocessed foods are), and keep your armour on when anyone says, "I see someone has been food shopping!"</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_jfLMrqyO2G5v6EKRwPFVy6yGkhe7vgQBj7ZH8Kby_z_u6i12g5ARGSyjay1ekjVGeUd6FGQg2ObleMyC5oKJcr5AqHnqKwbHEy1cyt6GFftmJqM6BGL4w5RPiprWNdlE9Ma-Bw/s1600/IMG_0116.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_jfLMrqyO2G5v6EKRwPFVy6yGkhe7vgQBj7ZH8Kby_z_u6i12g5ARGSyjay1ekjVGeUd6FGQg2ObleMyC5oKJcr5AqHnqKwbHEy1cyt6GFftmJqM6BGL4w5RPiprWNdlE9Ma-Bw/s320/IMG_0116.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
<br />
<!--EndFragment-->Jacquie Munrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700829406922054822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13826682.post-26804352286380023542013-05-09T12:43:00.001-07:002014-11-08T19:54:47.114-08:00The Garden and the Family<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirOo2wpg6BzjK_FoaSb5005kDaR_ZyGOwufnclUGCXGeRQ_Y6sJRszuNO4nD4tkFHo8y6wDq7jtvHApxQrSs1Vexqcqw22REMVIqhugF0hnRvEMIJoCMZ0KuyiD_kIMTL7YKwgzQ/s1600/IMG_6342.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirOo2wpg6BzjK_FoaSb5005kDaR_ZyGOwufnclUGCXGeRQ_Y6sJRszuNO4nD4tkFHo8y6wDq7jtvHApxQrSs1Vexqcqw22REMVIqhugF0hnRvEMIJoCMZ0KuyiD_kIMTL7YKwgzQ/s320/IMG_6342.jpg" height="320" width="316" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
When I joined my husband's family, I found that I had to learn a new language...latin! All his sisters seemed to be avid gardeners and would chatter about moving the pieris japonica, or the joys of alchemilla mollis (I love showing children how the rain drops glisten on this plant, also known as Lady's Mantle). Three of us were pregnant at the same time, and we would dig and plant flowers and vegetables at the family cabin as our bellies grew, after our babies were born, and as our extended family expanded. Pregnancy strengthened our need to nurture the gardens.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
As my love of birth grew, so did my bookshelves fill with gardening books that linked women's bodies and plants, from <a href="http://www.dailyom.com/library/000/000/000000299.html" target="_blank">Herbal Healing for Women</a> to Susun Weed's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Wise-Woman-Herbal-Childbearing-Series/dp/0961462000/ref=pd_sim_b_2" target="_blank">Wise Woman's Herbal</a>, <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/The-Complete-Book-Herbs-Practical/dp/0140238026" target="_blank">The Complete Book of Herbs</a>, <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/Plants-Coastal-British-Columbia-Revised/dp/1551055325" target="_blank">Plants of Coastal British Columbia</a> (great on car trips!) and Michael Pollan's books, the first of which was my favourite, <a href="http://michaelpollan.com/books/second-nature/" target="_blank">Second Nature</a>. I discovered that the Lady's Mantle that I loved has been used since medieval times as a medicinal herb, and rainwater collected in the leaves was used for its alleged magical powers. I never tested its use as a tea to reduce excessive period bleeding, but I like knowing that women in the past had used this plant for that purpose.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Crawling on hands and knees, digging and dividing in the perennial garden, helped me to turn my son from posterior to anterior. Squatting and weeding between the vegetable rows helped prepare me for my daughter's birth. There's no sitting still when you have a growing garden! Sheila Kitzinger's daughter laboured in her garden and held trees as she pushed. My own clients have laboured on hillsides in the dark, in Queen Elizabeth Park by the flowers, leaning on trees, and squatting on the grass. Many birthing centres in warm climates encourage women to labour in gardens specifically landscaped for labour and birth. This <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsNhCWsDVQI" target="_blank">"Birth in Nature"</a> video shows a woman whose labour is entirely outdoors.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
One Master Gardener, <a href="http://plantspiritmedicine.org/member/donna-guillemin/" target="_blank">Donna Guillemin</a>, opened my eyes to the "art" of gardening, and the world of Plant Spirit Medicine. While I would work in my garden, raising my children and attending births, she would (seemingly magically) help clients of mine to conceive, or cure their PUPPS, or relieve their anxiety. She would send them (or me) to <a href="http://www.finlandiapharmacy.com/" target="_blank">Finlandia Pharmacy</a> or <a href="http://www.gaiagarden.com/" target="_blank">Gaia Garden</a> for tinctures and teas, if her own tinctures and teas weren't quite what was needed.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Fast forward to today - and we have two more helpers, Jack and Finn, in the garden. They have changed the soundscape of my mother's garden - windchimes, stellar's jays and shrieks of laughter are now heard over the sound of the sprinkler. They are also learning to ask if they're pulling out a weed or a plant, or if the berry they hold in their hands is a "bird berry" or a "people berry". We pull and squat and crawl in the dirt and work hard and play hard together. From age 3 to 89, our family work together in the garden, connecting to the earth and each other.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Do we garden safely? Pregnant or not, we try to remember to wear our gloves (or at least have a good soap and water wash at the end of a gardening session), and take <a href="http://www.babyzone.com/pregnancy/is-it-safe/gardening-while-pregnant_71576" target="_blank">precautions to avoid toxoplasmosis or chemicals</a>, and avoid strains or sprains. But any potential risks of gardening during pregnancy (or postpartum or otherwise) are far outweighed by the positive emotional, physical and spiritual benefits (check out the<a href="http://www.chta.ca/about_ht.htm" target="_blank"> Canadian Horticultural Therapy Association</a> for more). </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Our gardens in Point Roberts, Tsawwassen, and Vancouver have nurtured four generations of our family. They have helped our babies turn into the perfect position, strengthened our legs for labour, watched us nurse our babies on the grass, calmed our minds when we've been anxious, and cleared our heads when the 21st century has been going too fast. Sure, we buy our vegetables most years (yes, we must connect more with the <a href="http://theurbanfarmer.ca/" target="_blank">Urban Farmer</a>)...but we try to buy local and ride our bikes or walk to the local <a href="http://www.eatlocal.org/" target="_blank">farmers markets</a>. This year's markets open this weekend!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So, if you're starting to grow a baby, try adding a garden to your family. There you will find joy for a lifetime (and you might just be able to avoid a posterior labour, too!)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Jacquie Munrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700829406922054822noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13826682.post-83081805882829696542013-04-29T23:22:00.000-07:002014-11-08T19:55:54.095-08:00Doula Myths...and the RealityOh, those urban doula myths...they just keep circulating...<br />
<br />
<b>Myth #1: </b><br />
<b>I'm always fully booked. </b><br />
<b>The reality: </b>I usually have openings! Many clients call as soon as they're pregnant, but, it's never too early nor too late to call. Sometimes, clients birth early (or move away), making room for a last-minute client. So, please email or phone me and we can have a good chat!<br />
<br />
<b>Myth #2:</b><br />
<b>I work with 7-10 clients per month. </b><br />
<b>The reality:</b> Eek! I'm a busy doula, but not because I work with that many clients. I actually book an average of 4 clients per month (to a maximum 50 births a year). That way, I am able to attend 98% of my client's births each year, and rarely need a back-up doula. (In fact, my last missed birth was in September 2011, when I was in Europe.)<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Why the myths might have started:</b><br />
<b>Myth #1: </b>Yes, I am often fully booked within a month or two of a due date, so please call early.<br />
<b>Myth #2: </b>Yes, there <i>are</i> some rare months when I might attend six births. Earlier this year, one baby was born at 32 weeks, one at 38, one at 40, and another at 42 weeks - all in a 6 day period. Then two more babies came the very next week. Nature has a wry sense of humour. My "4 births a month" can be theoretical at times.<br />
<br />
<b>Deeper into the reality:</b><br />
So, with just four booked clients a month, I often do short "tea visits" before a client books me. Then I make two prenatal visits with each family in their home...and I might squeeze in an extra visit if a client would benefit from the extra care in the final anxious weeks. I also allow lots of time for postpartum visits, and any extra breastfeeding help that might be needed. Yes, I often have to reschedule some visits so I can attend a birth, but that's the way birth works. It's random. It's unexpected. It's also amazing.<br />
<br />
<b>Going slow:</b><br />
Because I walk, cycle, or car2go to client visits in a small catchment area, there's a natural slow pace to each day. Today, my first prenatal visit was at 9am, but I was able to chat with another postpartum client on the phone as I walked over. Then I walked to Matchstick to warm up before my second "repeat client" visit, while answering new client emails. Later, I talked with some postpartum clients before popping over to see another family for their first prenatal visit. All told, I had three client visits today, and connected with another 11 clients.<br />
<br />
<b>Yours forever:</b><br />
11 client chats in a day? That's right. I always tell my clients that "I'm yours forever", so I do spend time each day connecting with former clients, answering their questions, brainstorming, and talking about breastfeeding, parenting, sleep!, growth spurts, baby-led weaning, and more sleep! It keeps me current, connected. And I hope each client comes away feeling uplifted, confident that she can trust her instincts and her baby.<br />
<br />
<b>Slow and Simple Parenting:</b><br />
I keep current with "the boys," my twin grandsons. I'm with them on Wednesdays...and as much as I can between client visits.<br />
<br />
<b>So, please don't hesitate - give me a call. If I don't pick up right away, I might just be slowly riding my bike to a client visit. Or I might be bike riding to Jericho Beach with the boys. Yes, I'm a busy doula. But be assured, I'll call you as soon as I pull over!</b>Jacquie Munrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700829406922054822noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13826682.post-39955905380206918882013-04-27T12:59:00.003-07:002014-11-08T19:56:10.787-08:00The Possible Effect of Yaletown Condo Living on Labour Length<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwbQQeysC5848c9OZXDl4shCt-t8wJGCJ_C7x_6Tm1XGaYwcJ7Nvwl2WxDeHlqkch7M5ftOmf3TKBwJrrlBSoyW3anWsfJ6DGpDN-cwpzYc8PCDmBj648K4mXJlOm20GpA0kyyIw/s1600/%0A%09%09%09%09%09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwbQQeysC5848c9OZXDl4shCt-t8wJGCJ_C7x_6Tm1XGaYwcJ7Nvwl2WxDeHlqkch7M5ftOmf3TKBwJrrlBSoyW3anWsfJ6DGpDN-cwpzYc8PCDmBj648K4mXJlOm20GpA0kyyIw/s320/%0A%09%09%09%09%09.jpg" height="124" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Pssst. I think I have discovered a secret formula for birth. I know, I know, every labour is unique and distinct, and you just can't apply a formula to birth. But, this has worked so many times recently that it's blogworthy. Here's the secret:<br />
<ol>
<li>Take one new condo with a view of the water (False Creek, especially).</li>
<li>Add one spacious and powerful shower.</li>
<li>Add one first-time labouring woman whose contractions have just dipped under the 5 minute mark.</li>
<li>Take one doula who says, "I will sit silently on the floor outside this door so you can labour <i>undisturbed.</i> I hope you will be able to stay in the shower for at least 45 minutes. I won't disturb you, but I will respond to you if you express a feeling or a need or ask me a question. But remember these words. Trust your body. Trust your baby. You are strong. You are spiraling your baby down, down and through. You are open, wide open."</li>
<li>Take one partner who says, "I will make sure everything is ready for you when you need to come out of the shower. I will put towels in the dryer for you, and place the clothes you will need on our bed. I will not disturb you. I will be here when you need me. I trust you, I trust our baby, and I trust your body."</li>
<li>Add filtered sunlight through a crack in the door.</li>
<li>Add liquids and food within easy reach.</li>
<li>Add the sounds of an iTunes playlist created by the woman, her partner, or loved ones.</li>
<li>Gradually, add the apparent dissolution of time and space.</li>
<li>Add one fast elevator and a short drive to the hospital (or the arrival of two midwives at home)...and the addition of a baby soon after with very little (okay...maybe a little) drama.</li>
</ol>
Okay...there's more to Step 10, but you get the idea. <br />
<br />
I've just had such luck lately with condo labours, with unlimited showers, beautiful views of the water, no disturbance, a fast elevator ride, and a short drive to the hospital (if planned) with few stop lights. And, recently, one woman never made it out of the quiet dark space, and gave birth on her bathroom floor (yes, her midwife was there).<br />
<br />
Am I just in the middle of a statistical blip that balances the challenging births, or am I onto something here?<br />
<br />
I pulled the info from my database, and was truly surprised to discover the high percentage of women living in the tall condos around False Creek (think Yaletown, Crosstown, Fairview, Olympic Village, etc.) who have had relatively short labours requiring limited technology or assistance. Okay, I'm not just imagining things. But why are these labours going so well???<br />
<br />
Perhaps, it's the women who live in condos in Vancouver? Okay...I'll give you that one.<br />
<br />
Perhaps, it's the unlimited hot water. I have had similar experiences with women who have laboured at home in tiny basement suites with flash hot water heaters. But, it's rare to have a flash heater in a single family dwelling in Vancouver.<br />
<br />
Perhaps, it's the speedy elevators. One study linked a fast elevator ride with a reduction in cesareans (strangely, the working theory was the elevator ride to the OR somehow repositioned the baby, resulting in the cancellation of the surgery).<br />
<br />
Perhaps, it's the ability of these women to remain undisturbed high up in a concrete condo. No one knocks unannounced if you live on the 23rd floor. There are no mail carriers tromping up your stairs. No garbage trucks barreling down the lane. No neighbours to worry about. We know that disturbance can slow down a labour (we've seen the effects of jackhammers in the hospital during renovations and a labour speeding up after the roofers go home for the day).<br />
<br />
Perhaps, the answer is as simple as one word. Many women have said the word "spiraling" had a huge impact on their labour. "I saw myself as being calm, zen, quiet, in the middle of a storm, and the baby was spinning, spiraling down to earth. I released everything, and the baby starting pushing his way out!" Aha! Ina May Gaskin's sphincter law in action.<br />
<br />
Or it could be that one special song that her partner added to the playlist.<br />
<br />
Or it could be his, "I trust you," that made all the difference.<br />
<br />
So...I guess I have to retract my announcement of a secret formula. There are so many combinations of things that can add up to a smooth and short labour. Each <i>labour </i>takes as long as it needs. Each <i>baby</i> takes as long as it needs. Each <i>woman</i> takes as long as she needs. You aren't at a disadvantage if you don't live in a condo with unlimited hot water. There is a big world out there. You can have lovely smooth labours in Dunbar and on The Drive, inside or outside, in birth pools or on dry land with slow dances and kisses and just one word. You can also have a challenging birth. That's just how it is sometimes.<br />
<br />
I'm sorry that I took you on lighthearted ride to look at our universal need to make sense of birth. I doubt there's a secret formula involving Vancouver condos. But, if you remove all the noise and chatter from the labour equation, you might just find one word, one concept, interwoven throughout...<br />
<br />
That one secret word might just be...<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>undisturbed</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
(Although, in an alternate universe, I would dearly love to know the results of a randomized controlled trial on "The Effect of Living in Yaletown Condos on the Length of Labour in Primiparous Women".)<br />
<br />
<br />Jacquie Munrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700829406922054822noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13826682.post-63293533302227518882013-04-17T16:17:00.002-07:002014-11-08T19:56:23.283-08:00A Lesson from NardiaWith maturity there comes<br />
an<br />
awareness<br />
<br />
that there is darkness at birth<br />
<br />
Walk with it. Respect it. Never forget it.<br />
<br />
But do not make your choices<br />
out of fear<br />
of the darkness<br />
<br />
Trust birth<br />
<br />
Trust<br />
<br />
birth<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPtSGSHQn9csitpihieGtL3YJWHwVzqbCohes57KCJpNocEh4-lnZMW-wmNfMkMA36sxNq1bWYaPTAH285RyOHIvFidhX2GlhgXNtMFqi4pC5LQOoV7f4qx0UzXajhBN_BUarAcA/s1600/IMG_7838.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPtSGSHQn9csitpihieGtL3YJWHwVzqbCohes57KCJpNocEh4-lnZMW-wmNfMkMA36sxNq1bWYaPTAH285RyOHIvFidhX2GlhgXNtMFqi4pC5LQOoV7f4qx0UzXajhBN_BUarAcA/s320/IMG_7838.jpg" height="296" width="320" /></a></div>
Jacquie Munrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700829406922054822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13826682.post-52885779580430928832012-11-19T16:55:00.001-08:002014-11-08T19:56:38.685-08:001000 Births<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmvB4-pBJRE32pJWpaIt3GLb6XhLd9E29psIWouu6EMVw4lud3FCGuIzUn9p2vW0TRorfpHIca8EHbv3ypxNtuA3uaRA80GATUTUyeez_6FhrTGeyG-_jo_mYcrJXF6FFRghzZ8A/s1600/IMG_7050.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmvB4-pBJRE32pJWpaIt3GLb6XhLd9E29psIWouu6EMVw4lud3FCGuIzUn9p2vW0TRorfpHIca8EHbv3ypxNtuA3uaRA80GATUTUyeez_6FhrTGeyG-_jo_mYcrJXF6FFRghzZ8A/s320/IMG_7050.jpg" height="261" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
A baby called Wyn was born this week, and in that moment I reached 1000 births.<br />
<br />
Wyn is connected to all those 1000 births through his mother, through me. Every birth, every woman, has left me with a lesson, a memory...something that has helped the next woman and baby. One touch of the hand connects us.<br />
<br />
It's not a straight chain. It's a wonderful, tangled, messy linking of hands. But birth is wonderful and messy...so that's just about right.<br />
<br />
Someone asked how I'm sure I've reached 1000 births. I've kept a record of every birth that I've attended, every family, and all their connections, right from the first birth I attended in 1987. At first, my notes were written in a coil binder. Blue cursive writing. Now, I have my complete database on my MacBook. It's organized, but not as much fun to read through as those early binders, stuffed with baby photos and years of Christmas cards showing taller and taller children.<br />
<br />
But there's one part of the dry database that I love to study - the connections. Wyn's mother is connected to Evan's mother through me...and Kian's mother through work...on and on...interwoven connections, through three generations. I'm now a grandmother. My first clients' babies are grown up and are starting to have babies. I have attended the births of all the women in some families. I have learned so much from this community of 1000 women.<br />
<br />
I love running into them on my rounds..."Hi Beth!" (on Granville Island, as I run to grab a car to head downtown to visit a week old baby and his mum) "Hi Sarah!" (at Elysian Coffee while I meet someone new). Even after the babies are born, I try to keep those links strong. "Beth - I have another client who's interested in EC." or "Tara...I have a client who would dearly love to hear from you." then "Leigh...someone might be calling you." We are always making more connections.<br />
<br />
After 1000 births (there's more than 1000 babies - think twins!), you'd think that the births would blur together. But, nope. I have lightbulb memories of each and every woman who has given birth. It's never usually the moment of birth. It's often the memory of a sound "shhhhhhh, ha ha ha, shhhhh"...or the memory of the smell of ylang ylang in the tub...or the glorious snapshot of how she threw a scarf around her neck as she grabbed the keys and ran out into the snow at 7 centimetres. A thousand connected images stretching back 25 years. Each one, a lesson.<br />
<br />
2012 was strange. The most challenging births started to coming one by one as summer (and birth 1000) approached. Everything seemed to slow right down. I was forced to take notice, be aware. I couldn't write about any of it. I just had to live it. It was like the birth gods knew I could handle new and unusual scenarios now. So they came.<br />
<br />
One. at. a. time.<br />
<br />
The births were messy and tangled and, in the end, in the end, the drama ended. The stitches have healed. A boy called Finn has a new heart. The preemies are home. The babies have safely left the NICU. They are all at home, in their mum's arms. But the emotions are still swirling.<br />
<br />
So, I will leave the story-telling of these births for another time. Right now, I'm weaving one memory from each of these births into the memories of all the other 1000 births. Making connections and giving thanks. And I'm hoping that birth 1001 will be smooth...<br />
<br />
<i>- Jacquie Munro, Slow Birth, Vancouver Doula</i><br />
<br />
**With so many thanks to the 1000 mums...and dads and babies and families and friends...who have held my hands and taught me for 25 years.<br />
**In memory of Dr. Kerry Telford Morrissey and Debra Karby, who are woven into our hearts.<br />
** Thanks to Adam and Ever, for the photo of their hands...Jacquie Munrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700829406922054822noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13826682.post-28115786282543903222012-01-19T18:56:00.000-08:002014-11-08T19:57:00.209-08:00The challenge of slow birth<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxoG2hNUcRQ2KbOJkRvKBe6BWMOzOeqBmGhfAxHOITtkeiV8oFizABDVT215eoguzMGz5wzbUvbiTcMykOLMka4XS9J5AX2dn23S0LXNdF0wZbfop-MR5BVwv1yBYSFNvQY4gRAA/s1600/IMG_3935.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxoG2hNUcRQ2KbOJkRvKBe6BWMOzOeqBmGhfAxHOITtkeiV8oFizABDVT215eoguzMGz5wzbUvbiTcMykOLMka4XS9J5AX2dn23S0LXNdF0wZbfop-MR5BVwv1yBYSFNvQY4gRAA/s320/IMG_3935.jpg" height="320" width="265" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-weight: 300;">I spent today delivering the new Slow Birth doula cards to different practitioners' offices. One supportive physician read the words "slow birth", and laughed - "Some of our doctors won't like that...they're always talking about births that are progressing too slowly!"</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: 300;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: 300;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: 300;">...slow...birth...</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: 300;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: 300;">These words might prove challenging for some people. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: 300;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: 300;">I am an example of Slow Birth. I think maybe, just maybe, after over a quarter century as a doula, I'm starting to understand birth. It has been a slow gradual process. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: 300;">Each birth teaches me what I need to know for the next birth. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: 300;">Birth forces me to slow down, then stop, then really look at it. I feel like I'm just starting to fully appreciate the nuance of birth. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: 300;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: 300;">It shakes me and demands my respect.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: 300;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: 300;">I have heard some people say that I <i>know</i> birth. I don't. None of us can truly know birth, because each birth is totally different. But, I know this much -</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: 300;"> B</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: 300;">irth takes its time. Birth is challenging in every way. Birth doesn't respond easily to control or what we want. Birth loves surprises.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: 300;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: 300;">...slow...birth...</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: 300;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: 300;">So, think about it. Slow Birth is not about having a slow labour, or having a fast labour. Slow Birth is about honouring birth and surrendering to the rhythm of the body and the baby.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: 300;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: 300;">Slow Birth reminds me to take whatever time is needed to prepare each family for the early years of parenting. This takes time. Time on the phone. Time in person. Time texting back and forth. Time talking, laughing, crying. Every client requires a different approach. This is not a conveyor belt. It's not textbook. It is a creative process. It is bespoke. It is organic. It is slow.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: 300;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: 300;">As a Slow Birth doula, my job is to remain aware, to remain flexible, to read the body, to translate its messages, to listen to each woman and family, to remind each woman that she can trust her body, to help her draw on her life lessons, to help her build her own community. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: 300;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: 300;">Slow Birth, as an extension of the slow movement, is my commitment to each doula client and her family to nurture stronger connections, and to discover each family's pace, each family's needs. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: 300;">Slow Birth is about supporting the birth
of each family with time and care. Ultimately, the aim is to help clients
build their own connections within their community, slow down, and enjoy the
first years of family life together. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: 300;">Whatever is needed...as long as it takes...that's what Slow Birth is about. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: 300;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: 300;"><i>- Jacquie Munro - Slow Birth, Vancouver Doula</i></span></span><br />
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-weight: 300;"><br /></span></div>
Jacquie Munrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700829406922054822noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13826682.post-14240283482556720722012-01-03T17:45:00.000-08:002014-11-08T19:57:20.242-08:00On Surfing...and Facebook...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhclgQd_9AGDFFdXZjYuerGZuIDF9YI3Ye4n230K4TXE2407-noW340lIjdVdX8oEgPG9TTXEQq5UCb5xasvIWh4vT8aDejNGtN7fJF2QvGC9t0pWre5VENoXAAgyDheoUbFc0Iw/s1600/IMG_3874.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhclgQd_9AGDFFdXZjYuerGZuIDF9YI3Ye4n230K4TXE2407-noW340lIjdVdX8oEgPG9TTXEQq5UCb5xasvIWh4vT8aDejNGtN7fJF2QvGC9t0pWre5VENoXAAgyDheoUbFc0Iw/s200/IMG_3874.jpg" height="200" width="149" /></a>Googling during pregnancy can be a big bad scary activity. For sanity's sake, I encourage clients to avoid general googling of pregnancy topics at this time. I do, however, encourage clients to become informed about birth, breastfeeding and parenting. How can you filter all the information? My favourite books and research resources are linked on my site, so that's a great place to start.<br />
<br />
But, another easy way to have a steady flow of current research and opinions and an overview of "best practice" is to "like" some of the great sites below on Facebook. And don't forget to bookmark the best birth and parenting websites that I have linked in the sidebar (for those burning questions at 4am!)<br />
<br />
In no particular order, here are some recent articles/sites/videos that I recommend:<br />
<br />
The Alpha Parent <a href="http://www.thealphaparent.com/2011/12/timeline-of-breastfed-baby.html?spref=fb">The Timeline of a Breastfed Baby</a><br />
KellyMom (!!!) <a href="http://kellymom.com/momblog/parenting/nighttime/sleep/">Sleeping Through the Night</a><br />
Lakeshore Medical Breastfeeding Clinic (Dr Jen) <a href="http://www.drjen4kids.com/soap%20box/onebottle.htm#.TvS_TpjVSW0.facebook">Just One Bottle</a> and <a href="http://www.drjen4kids.com/soap%20box/newbornweight.htm#.TvSzS3dJmMc.facebook">Breastfed Newborn Weight Loss</a><br />
TED Talks <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tu9nJmr4Xs&feature=share">The Shocking Truth about your Health</a> and <a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/annie_murphy_paul_what_we_learn_before_we_re_born.html#.TtaTC8xSJq0.facebook">What We Learn Before We're Born</a> and <a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/patricia_kuhl_the_linguistic_genius_of_babies.html#.Tr7ZmyQI3Ag.facebook">The Linguistic Genius of Babies</a><br />
NPR <a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2011/12/05/143062378/whats-behind-a-temper-tantrum-scientists-deconstruct-the-screams">What's Behind A Temper Tantrum?</a><br />
Mother-Baby Behavioral Sleep Lab <a href="http://cosleeping.nd.edu/">Dr James McKenna</a><br />
Infant Sleep as a Public Health Issue (10 parts) <a href="http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLE020C440EEF7F6E1&feature=plcp">Dr Wendy Hall</a><br />
Mothering <a href="http://mothering.com/green-living/car-seats-are-for-cars">Car Seats are for Cars</a><br />
<br />
These are some great Facebook pages that you can "Like":<br />
<a href="http://www.facebook.com/powertopush">Power To Push (Best Birth Clinic)</a><br />
<a href="http://www.facebook.com/birthdocs?ref=ts">Family Practice Maternity Service (BirthDocs)</a><br />
<a href="http://www.facebook.com/scienceandsensibility?ref=ts&sk=wall">Science & Sensibility</a><br />
<br />
Enjoy the surf! More to come...<br />
<br />Jacquie Munrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700829406922054822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13826682.post-61963699675578701702012-01-02T22:18:00.000-08:002014-11-08T19:57:46.814-08:0012 Times a Day...<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><br /></span></span>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg81mZXNcvOi-DHEMdGfyD_K-cluG7BKg8NvRiIqDBmi8n78wPB8TvEKU1CggUa3L-X2kOFND9rpsgfosZQJjWUawIT5wfCtFWH_mHo9dtIZ7vwZHk0qIyygICQNnmP84fz9ykkwA/s1600/Image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg81mZXNcvOi-DHEMdGfyD_K-cluG7BKg8NvRiIqDBmi8n78wPB8TvEKU1CggUa3L-X2kOFND9rpsgfosZQJjWUawIT5wfCtFWH_mHo9dtIZ7vwZHk0qIyygICQNnmP84fz9ykkwA/s200/Image.jpg" height="200" width="149" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 14px;">I have a dilemma...after all these years as a doula, I'm still trying to discover the best way to help pregnant women have a successful start to breastfeeding. </span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 14px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 14px;">Breastfeeding classes are great, La Leche League meetings are supportive, our talks over months of pregnancy provide continuity, the breastfeeding books are inspiring, kellymom.com and Dr. Jack Newman's videos are linked on my blog. But one client just nailed the problem on the head in a phone call tonight: "It feels like I'm putting the cart before the horse if I try to think about breastfeeding now! I'm trying to finish up at work! I feel like I'm not prepared to have the baby yet! I have to get the baby born! I can't think about breastfeeding now!" (Yes, I know, I'm paraphrasing, but the exclamation marks were certainly there.)</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 14px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;">My clients say that everything flies out the window as soon as the baby is born. In the first few days, despite my encouragement to each woman to feed her baby skin to skin, and to feed early and often (12 fe</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 14px;">eds per day gets you a gold star!), both sleep deprivation and the overwhelming nature of being a new parent can shatter prior learning and all self confidence. Add to that a stream of visitors, and you have a perfect storm. No wonder the breastfeeding relationship suffers or sputters to a halt.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 14px;">So, what will work? Talk to each other. Find yourself a friend who will be your breastfeeding mentor. Put the cart before the horse. Start to build your breastfeeding community!</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 14px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 14px;">To start you on the right path, I've asked some of my clients to write down their words of wisdom after a year of breastfeeding. Many clients are ready and willing to offer their support and be your mentor. So, first up, let's hear from Abby! </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 14px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 14px;">"When I gave birth to my daughter I, like every other new mom, was completely exhausted. I was (and still am) dedicated to breastfeeding my daughter so when the nurses in the hospital told me to breastfeed 8-12 times per day I made sure to feed her at least 8 times per day (sometimes 9) and I thought I was doing great! 3 weeks later she wasn't gaining enough weight and I was diagnosed with "low milk supply." I was devastated and I couldn't understand it -- I was doing everything right, wasn't I? </span></i></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;">After many visits with lactation consultants, many hours with my pump, and many breastfeeding articles later I had a realization: I should have been feeding my baby AT LEAST 12 TIMES A DAY, or even better every hour. You're going to be tired anyways, so buy a good breast feeding pillow, sit back, watch TV, snooze, avoid visitors, and feed your baby all day! You'll be surprised how relaxing it is. Your breasts need the stimulation from your baby and your baby's brain needs nutrition constantly. It took me months to learn all this so I hope that my experience can help other new moms learn this in minutes instead of months. </span></i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><i>My daughter is now 1, and I have met many women who were diagnosed with "low milk supply." Every time we went to a baby class there was at least 1 or 2 women who had the same problem as me. That just can't be right. We were made to feed our babies to it can't be possible that so many women "can't make enough milk." Many women may be able to make enough milk with minimal stimulation (i.e. 8 times a day), but a large minority of us cannot. So PLEASE FEED YOUR BABY AT LEAST 12 TIMES A DAY!" <b>- Abby, mum to Ellie </b></i></span></span></span></blockquote>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 14px;">(One way to keep track of those 12 feeds per 24 hours, without relying on a clock, is to have two bowls by your breastfeeding "station". One bowl is filled with 12 pennies. Just move a penny over to the second bowl after a feed. At the end of 12 hours, just look and see how many of the pennies have been moved to the second bowl. How are you doing? Will you be able to make 12 feeds in the day? No worries if you're a bit low on feeds. You can just pick it up. No need to write anything down. No need to look at the clock. No need to stress! It's just a great way to feel the rhythm of breastfeeding your baby in the first few weeks.) </span></div>
Jacquie Munrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700829406922054822noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13826682.post-83979416600840565112010-12-25T13:23:00.000-08:002014-11-08T20:07:40.255-08:00The Sweat Lodge<div style="font: 11.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px;"><img alt="Daphne_Odjig_In_Tune_With_The_Infinite" class="attachment-thumbnail" src="http://www.dailyartfixx.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Daphne_Odjig_In_Tune_With_The_Infinite-150x150.jpg" height="150" title="Daphne_Odjig_In_Tune_With_The_Infinite" width="150" /></span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></div>
<div style="font: 11.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font: 11.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; white-space: pre;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; white-space: pre;"> </span><b><i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">This Christmas Day, I offer you the gift of a story told by a new client:</span></i></b></span></div>
<div style="font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span>I see that going into the sweat lodge in remote northern Ontario when I was 17 is something that I can use to propel me through birth. The experience was a powerful one then and now, as I face a long pregnancy and its culminating labour, the event is taking on new significance and its power is spinning in the expanding darkness of my womb.</span></div>
<div style="font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I went into the sweat lodge to heal. I didn’t even know what parts of me needed healing. All I knew was that I was being offered a chance to experience something profound that might just change the course of my life. The sweat lodge itself was like a womb--dark inside but for the orange glow of rocks heated by fire until they took on their own light. The air was wet from water sprayed periodically on the burning rocks that would immediately vapourize and turn the tight dome into a small ocean that housed us all. There were perhaps ten girls and two men -- our first nations guides on this journey into the Sweat.</span></span></div>
<div style="font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Once we had all gathered inside and been given instructions the animal skin flap of the sweat lodge was closed and we were cradled in primal darkness. I could feel the other girls breathing around me. I could feel the warmth of their bodies and their anxious energy. We didn’t know where we were journeying to or what sort of people we might be once we emerged from our process of rebirth. It was a moment very similar to what I have been experiencing in my state of early pregnancy, where very little has changed on the surface of things but I can feel strange ripples of energy coursing through my body and smell the electric smell of great change rolling in like a summer storm.</span></span></div>
<div style="font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">My memories of the Sweat are hazy. But images flash back to me like prophecies. I think there was a drum. The steady heartbeat of the world reminding us of our embodied state. The sweat has four stages each marked by one of the sacred herbs--sage, sweetgrass, cedar, and tobacco. At the end of each stage the lodge would be opened and we would have the choice to leave or to stay on for the next stage. We could decide that we had learned what we came to learn or that we needed to go deeper to reach whatever lesson was meant for us. Inside the sweat lodge I descended into the core of the earth to access the essence of myself. I imagine labour will be much like that--a spiralling downward into the most secret spaces of the soul where reserves of power you never imagined you had can be accessed and put to use.</span></span></div>
<div style="font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span>I floated in the humid air of the sweat lodge as the ceremony commenced. It wasn’t long before I was soaked with the wet air and my own sweat that poured out of me like rain. My body slowly emptied itself of fluids and I’m sure that I became severely dehydrated. Stories poured out of us with the sweat. We told of our young lives’ greatest hurts, the things that were holding us back and torturing us. Tears began to mingle with the sweat. Girls cried out in pain or because they saw visions emerging from the blackness. Each time the flap was opened at the end of a stage some would leave, desperate for water, content that they had gleaned all they could, or simply exhausted physically and mentally.</span></div>
<div style="font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I was becoming worn down myself. My body needed water and I was deeply aware of that. But I couldn’t bring myself to leave. I was sure that there was something at the end of all this that would be worth the suffering and somehow, amidst the agony of the Sweat I was able toembrace the experience as transformative. By the end of the Sweat I was deep within my own body and had become animalistic in my thoughts and movements. I was lying on the dirt floor of the lodge with my head in the lap of another girl. I was screaming a low animal scream that originated deep in my throat and resonated at my core. I clawed the ground like a dying creature letting the earth bury itself under my nails. I thought that I might die yet refused to leave until the flap was opened for the final time.</span></span></div>
<div style="font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I find that my memories of the Sweat sound much like the experiences of labouring women who find intense beauty amidst pain, fear, and confusion. Labouring women connect to their animal selves just as I did in the suffocating final moments of the Sweat. And while I wasn’t comfortable or even fully conscious of the world around me I believed that I was safe. I believed that the guides wouldn’t let me come to harm, that the girls would hold me. This feeling of safety in the midst of chaos will be crucial to birth as well. I will need to feel that I am held in competent arms and that I will be told if there is real danger at hand. I think that if I can maintain a feeling of safety that I will be able to bear whatever pain or discomfort comes my way and hold on to the belief that bodily trial can be a gateway to spiritual truths.</span></span></div>
<div style="font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">When the sweat was finally over I lifted myself up off the earth and ate canned fruit that was being passed around. As liquid and sugar entered my body I felt deep relief and also a great sense of well being for having made it to the end. I drank water and water has never again tasted so pure and delicious. When I stepped out of the lodge I was given a moment that will forever be a part of my personal mythology. I emerged from the heat of that womb and into the cold fresh air of the northern summer night. The sky was spattered with stars and I walked carefully on unsteady legs to the edge of the lake where the water was black and silent. I let the air cool me and many of the girls swam in the midnight waves, coming fully alive after touching the edges of death. Time had lost all meaning. I have no sense of how long I stayed in the sweat lodge. It could have been minutes or hours. All I know is that I went in when the sun was still up and when I came out it was long past sunset.</span></span></div>
<div style="font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I will hold on to the sweat lodge when I enter labour. I will let time lose meaning and surrender to the animal impulses of my body--letting it cry out when it needs to and growl deep in the throat and belly. I will let myself be cradled by my husband and the midwives, and doula who will attend me. I will remember that I am safe so that I can ride out the waves of birth without getting lost entirely. I see suddenly the the sweat lodge was a gift that I didn’t see the full value of at the time. It was a perfect preparation for birth given to me in days when I never expected to have a child. How strange that I can travel backwards now and see new aspects of the experience and new ways to apply it. I have already been both the mother and the child: The labouring woman clawing the earth in wild torment and the new baby crawling from the womb into the wide wide world under the slowly gyrating sky. May this experience give me strength and courage in the months to come and at the moment of birth.</span></span></div>
Jacquie Munrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700829406922054822noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13826682.post-50768578649863854872010-12-11T08:26:00.000-08:002014-11-08T20:10:44.649-08:00"It doesn't get easier, it just gets different"<img class="rg_hi" src="http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT-9T7PAiUI9cYynyr1tT1KeJAMWy3crENPv450FLJ_IaS6uoR0Lg" height="194" id="rg_hi" style="height: 194px; width: 259px;" width="259" /><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
As part of my doula service, I provide two prenatal visits, attend my clients' births, then make a postpartum visit to debrief and hug, but that's only the tip of the iceberg. <br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div>
I encourage my clients to call or email me frequently...for years (yes, I mean that). I'm often on the phone for a few hours each day, answering clients' questions, brainstorming, or providing support and encouragement. I encourage my clients to call me whenever a question arises during pregnancy or postpartum, which is SO much more helpful than asking them to store it up for visits. We're able to work through each concern in the moment. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Please don't be shy about calling! It makes everything smoother in the long run!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div>
Recently, I checked in with a former client to see how things were going (three years after she gave birth to twins). "Any words of wisdom?" I asked.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"It doesn't get easier, it just gets different," she said. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
With those few words, she reminded me of the daily reality of mothering little ones. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Change comes in an ever widening circle. Change comes daily with a newborn, then weekly...then monthly...then yearly, as she grows. The physical and emotional challenges of raising children are dynamic. "Someone keeps moving the goal posts!" said one client. "Did they cover this prenatal class!? I can't remember anything anymore!" </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Who knew that flexibility, creativity and spontaneity (along with a whole whack of family and community support) were the keys to successful parenting? In the beginning, we thought we just had to learn the basic rules of "How to Parent" and everything would be smooth sailing! Boy, were we wrong! It's all about rolling with the changes...</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
But you don't have to reinvent the wheel. You are not alone! Someone else is going through the same thing...right now...</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So, give me a call. Whatever you're dealing with...I've probably chatted with another client about something similar, just yesterday. And maybe, you might just want to connect with her. Together, we can support each other through the daily changes and challenges of mothering.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
For example...One day this week I was standing in the rain on Granville Street, discussing a woman's overabundant milk supply, then an hour later I received a call in the IGA about another baby gagging and spluttering on his mum's gushing breast milk. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Then, the next day, I was sitting in my parked car talking with another client about how to increase her low milk supply, just before receiving a call from a different client to ask about donor milk. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Various solutions, including the "Human Milk 4 Human Babies" Facebook group (community milk-sharing), the local Donor Milk Bank, and my favourite lactation consultant, popped into my mind. Personal connections were made...and they were off!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Yesterday, a mum called looking for some support dealing with the changes that happen around six weeks. She had found her rhythm a few weeks earlier. Feeds had been going well, sleep had become more predictable. Then...wham! the six week growth spurt had begun. Her baby had become more alert and started to sleep less. She was having to feed more to increase her milk supply. The goal posts had moved! </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
We talked...I made tea while we talked...and we talked some more...</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I'd better call her again on Monday to check in, and encourage her to go to her local community mum's group.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Every time a client calls me with a mothering question, it increases my ability to support the next woman. Each woman teaches me something completely new. I encourage her to share her experiences at the local mum's group or La Leche League meeting. We each strengthen the chain of women helping women. We support each other through the daily changes.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I won't tell you what to do when you call. None of this parenting stuff is black and white. I'll just help you add to your mothering tool chest, share recent research, brainstorm.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
But, above all, I'll just do my very best to listen. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I'll do my best to share the wisdom that I've learned from my years as a mum, a grandma, and as a doula, and learned from all my other clients. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Yes, there will be times when I won't have the experience to address your particular problem. But, at the very least, I'll know someone...maybe a professional...or maybe even another mum...who will be able to give you the tools to help yourself.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
And then, I'll remind you that each day will be a mix of joy and tears and laughter. That's mothering. It's always changing, it's always challenging. It's never boring.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
My client was right..."It doesn't get easier. It just gets different."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Jacquie Munro - Vancouver Doula</span></i></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br />
<div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Jacquie Munrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700829406922054822noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13826682.post-36144526111063527952010-12-10T17:27:00.000-08:002014-11-08T20:14:44.921-08:00What have I been doing all this time?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSVYIO9bG-QnKb3Y-h9FRWzMotIxERK5SUK0roHGQLow5hmkI4Ix-NXbk8w_tiOXEpL9w8WQtaUCM1X71hetmSsZD6KWFpNbDLIBJWknEu7GLxPR8yC6gM8wiPABlOeVyIr33vrg/s1600/IMG_7343.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSVYIO9bG-QnKb3Y-h9FRWzMotIxERK5SUK0roHGQLow5hmkI4Ix-NXbk8w_tiOXEpL9w8WQtaUCM1X71hetmSsZD6KWFpNbDLIBJWknEu7GLxPR8yC6gM8wiPABlOeVyIr33vrg/s200/IMG_7343.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549230426692272466" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 134px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
<div>
In addition to my doula work, "loving the grandsons" has been added to my list of passions. With twins, there's a lot of room for family involvement, so we've all been chipping in daily to help out. My memory of this past summer is long long walks by the seashore with my husband, carrying the boys in slings, allowing their parents a break at home...to sleep or eat, or just plain enjoy the peace and quiet.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
It's been eight months filled with love and joy (we're not the sleepless ones).</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Is there any downside? I tend to forget things more easily now, with so many things happening every day, but my calendar alerts keep me on task. So, clients...I may whisper when I answer my phone (sleeping babies!), and I might screen some prospective clients' calls if I'm rocking a tired boy while another stands holding my leg (I just can't reach my phone). Please accept my apologies in advance. BUT...the upside is that I now have a renewed and updated understanding of breastfeeding issues, sleep issues, introduction of solids, safety issues, attachment parenting...and a multitude of other topics. It's like I'm living a daily refresher course in how to support my clients through their pregnancies and postpartum experiences. You will benefit!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I'm now taking on fewer clients per month (4-5 at the most), so that I'm (hopefully) able to provide the best care to all. So, you'll need to call me early in pregnancy to book a spot. With this growing family, I'm learning to multitask all over again - and love it!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So, please don't hesitate to call or email! I'm here...just covered in babies from time to time....</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Jacquie - Vancouver Doula</div>
Jacquie Munrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700829406922054822noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13826682.post-60900442394138259392010-05-20T10:20:00.000-07:002014-11-08T20:14:59.841-08:00Dear Jacquie...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcY2VR7PdFAxYxEjUeQcvQ30VLRJbLL9DwzRYv1U8lb_Ra1uYZTIMbQx3bE5WA6FUwUZsk1pL2sx1U61Bg-x-cm35R-Pe_wjPwJPEzdrVWUo0yMLpZLGShTIF93E2-8mR4HnQ6Bg/s1600/midwives.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcY2VR7PdFAxYxEjUeQcvQ30VLRJbLL9DwzRYv1U8lb_Ra1uYZTIMbQx3bE5WA6FUwUZsk1pL2sx1U61Bg-x-cm35R-Pe_wjPwJPEzdrVWUo0yMLpZLGShTIF93E2-8mR4HnQ6Bg/s200/midwives.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473403991135604450" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 143px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
<div>
Dear Jacquie,</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
We've not met, but I just wanted to thank you for my daughter's birth. I live in Edinburgh, although I'm from Victoria, B.C, and I stumbled across your blog about a year ago. My son (who's now 2) was born in hospital: my flat wasn't big enough to fit a birth pool and 2 midwives, and I hoped I could have a water birth in hospital instead. In the end, I was induced due to blood pressure and got a very controlled, restricted labour: I was on my back, monitored, for the whole thing.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
When I became pregnant last spring, your blog was the final inspiration I needed to plan a home birth. You and Ina May were my encouragement through 4 days of slow contractions. In the end, though, my beautiful daughter came racing into the world, one hand over her head, into an empty bathtub. (The midwife had arrived 17 minutes before and let the water out of the bath to check me over...never happened! The birthing pool was filled and waiting in the next room but into the empty bathtub she came.) I had a wonderful, wonderful birth with no one monitoring, examining, or worrying me and the difference in my two birth stories still amazes me.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I'm attaching a photo of me and Rosa with my midwife team, an hour after the birth (the one in blue was the midwife, the one in white was a student on her first week - I was her first birth!, and the one behind was the second midwife who arrived 20 minutes too late).</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I have loved reading your blog, and I really can't thank you enough for the inspiration you gave me.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
All the best,</div>
<div>
R (Edinburgh)</div>
Jacquie Munrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700829406922054822noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13826682.post-23059599881161433992010-04-09T11:21:00.000-07:002014-11-08T20:15:30.816-08:00My Words<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrnCnzfavkgqAPTjr5kpnNO_kOmakUbcWvGDfDgzULyKO5XhTd31arpd9NNYwQ3-a_rcbkPx87VKKGNu8r6vUgYkdazm0OFMOcGBqgLxd59elove_0R6xDs3U4-Hb3I_Tm69zuFA/s1600/DSC_0627.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrnCnzfavkgqAPTjr5kpnNO_kOmakUbcWvGDfDgzULyKO5XhTd31arpd9NNYwQ3-a_rcbkPx87VKKGNu8r6vUgYkdazm0OFMOcGBqgLxd59elove_0R6xDs3U4-Hb3I_Tm69zuFA/s200/DSC_0627.JPG" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458206559802060290" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 134px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br />
Wide open</div>
<div>
Your face is soft</div>
<div>
Your shoulders are heavy</div>
<div>
You are safe</div>
<div>
Your baby is safe</div>
<div>
This is your power</div>
<div>
You are strong</div>
<div>
Feel your cervix melt like butter</div>
<div>
Your muscles open</div>
<div>
Your baby tucks chin on chest</div>
<div>
You are wide open</div>
<div>
Soft</div>
<div>
Slow breathing</div>
<div>
Your hands are soft</div>
<div>
You are safe</div>
<div>
You are with all the women in labour</div>
<div>
The women are with you</div>
<div>
You are doing this</div>
<div>
Breathe in strength</div>
<div>
Breathe out worry</div>
<div>
Breathe in power</div>
<div>
This is your power</div>
<div>
Wide open</div>
<div>
Wide open</div>
<div>
Soft</div>
<div>
Melting</div>
<div>
Safe</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">- Jacquie Munro, Vancouver Doula - Slow Birth</span></i></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Jacquie Munrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700829406922054822noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13826682.post-21886374403903707612010-03-30T21:50:00.000-07:002014-11-08T20:15:48.788-08:00"Around the World, Down the Prime Meridian..."<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlYesvTavFt5qaL7TZoWZofnqNwTSygTtWWeETiloTzyEjJYet_sfqC70E8JiTk2yN4FctsVQJKSvMq9T0Xw1qdfQgJIovIKl1t8e6cH6b9z1eHWO_aLzdqblbZ16vcbZR8s1dKw/s1600/web.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlYesvTavFt5qaL7TZoWZofnqNwTSygTtWWeETiloTzyEjJYet_sfqC70E8JiTk2yN4FctsVQJKSvMq9T0Xw1qdfQgJIovIKl1t8e6cH6b9z1eHWO_aLzdqblbZ16vcbZR8s1dKw/s200/web.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454676580397868306" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 134px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br />
As you sleep, Finn, I stroke the world onto your forehead</div>
<div>
cheeks</div>
<div>
chin</div>
<div>
Circling, drawing the lines of our planet with my fingers</div>
<div>
Transferring the love of your great grandfather into your skin</div>
<div>
Just as we did to your mother.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
"Around the world<br />
<div>
Down the Prime Meridian..."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
You sleep, your eyes playing beneath their lids</div>
<div>
Soaking in the words, the touch.</div>
<div>
Are you dreaming of where you were three days ago?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
You were hiding behind your brother Jack</div>
<div>
Feet down</div>
<div>
Ready to make a surprise entry</div>
<div>
like a parachuter.</div>
<div>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
<div>
I can't even remember what it felt like to believe</div>
<div>
that your mother was having only one baby.</div>
<div>
It feels...</div>
<div>
incomplete.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
We waited that bright Saturday</div>
<div>
waited for "the baby"</div>
<div>
sitting outside in the sunshine</div>
<div>
in the buffeting wind</div>
<div>
at a cafe table</div>
<div>
outside Capers</div>
<div>
where your parents met</div>
<div>
We waited</div>
<div>
watching two men play UpWords</div>
<div>
the same game your grandad and I played </div>
<div>
when I was in labour.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Every movement on 4th was a sign</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The woman pushing a bicycle</div>
<div>
humming</div>
<div>
The pregnant women heading</div>
<div>
to Semperviva</div>
<div>
yoga mats tucked under their arms</div>
<div>
Heading to the noon class</div>
<div>
where your mother was supposed to be...</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
...where you would have been</div>
<div>
Child's pose</div>
<div>
Listening to the music chosen by your mother.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
But you weren't at that class</div>
<div>
You were with your mum and dad</div>
<div>
at home</div>
<div>
in the tub</div>
<div>
hidden behind Jack</div>
<div>
waiting to be born...</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
...waiting to surprise everyone!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"Across the Equator</div>
<div>
Tropic of Cancer</div>
<div>
Tropic of Capricorn</div>
<div>
North Pole</div>
<div>
South Pole</div>
<div>
Mount Everest</div>
<div>
Mariana Trench..."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
You have always been with us</div>
<div>
and we never knew it</div>
<div>
You have always been part of our bodies</div>
<div>
our planet</div>
<div>
You have always been...</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"Tundra..."</div>
<div>
...Blue Pacific"</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div>
Tomorrow I will stroke</div>
<div>
the cartography of love</div>
<div>
into your brother's face...</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">(Finn, the hidden water fairy, was only discovered a few minutes after his older brother, Jack, was joyfully born into his mother and father's arms, at home, on Saturday afternoon. Finn then declared his presence, kicking the midwife's hand... "Jack was not alone! I'm here!" Then, over an hour later, Finn, already master of the great entrance, responded to his mum's pushes and came, splash, feet first, before a large audience in the hospital...</span></i></div>
<div>
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Bright surprises can still happen in this world!)</span></i></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i>Jacquie Munro - Grandma to Jack and Finn, Vancouver Doula, Slow Birth</i></span></div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Jacquie Munrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700829406922054822noreply@blogger.com11