 THIS. This face right here. Also known at the "WTAF Moment". The "MY BODY DID WHAT?" moment. The "I JUST DID THAT!" moment. And it is magic.
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 As a doula, I listen to a lot of pregnancy and birth stories. While some people can speak in great detail about every single thing that happened, most can't. What almost every person can remember though is how people made them feel - especially during their birth.
The language that surrounds your pregnancy lays the foundation for your birth, and eventually your confidence as a new parent. If through out the 9 months your head is being filled with doubt with the abilities of your body and the choices you have made, then it may affect the belief you have in your ability to birth and to make the best choices for your family.  Congratulations! You are pregnant! This is the start of a really exciting time of you life. But where do you begin? What do you need to do NOW that you got that positive?
These are 5 tips on what to do now - to have a great pregnancy and eventually, a beautiful birth.  Something that often comes up for seasoned moms who are planning their home birth is "What do I do with my older kids?"
Instantly people have this image of their children seeing them working hard at their birth and making some strong sounds and are so scared they will terrify their child. This is a totally normal thought to have. After all, for most of us, seeing someone give birth was NOT part of our childhood - so it is hard to imagine what it would be like to be part of our kids life.  Client birth story when working in partnership with Olena Guseva:
We met S and K pretty far into her pregnancy. I believe she was around 34 weeks at the time of her first consultation. She had been referred to us by her Naturopath - the wonderful Dr. Briana Peddle. S started her pregnancy very similarly to how many moms begin. She went to a maternity clinic for most of her pregnancy as that is where she was told she would go. She went on with her pregnancy with them but as time progressed, she felt something was just off with the care that she was receiving. Over the course of her pregnancy, she began learning about alternatives to the normal paths. Red Raspberry Leaf has been used for thousands of years amongst many cultures, but it wasn't until the 1940's that it was more commonly used in Western medicine. Red Raspberry Leaf is rich in vitamins and while it can be used to treat a pretty wide variety of ailments, it is now pretty well known for the benefits it provides to the all mighty uterus. Taking raspberry tea is said to strengthen the uterine muscles and tone the pelvic floor in preparation for childbirth.
There have been studies that have seen a correlation between those who consistently drink raspberry leaf tea with lower rates of birth interventions AND short second stage of labour than those who don't drink it. The thing is - it doesn't taste very nice. At least I did't like it. AT ALL. So during my second pregnancy I came up with these recipes that made the drink pretty delicious! There is a cold and a hot option available - but with the heat wave we have been having in Vancouver - the cold drink is probably all you need. Last week Samantha had the pleasure of joining L and V as they welcomed their brand new baby boy in their home. The birth happened quite fast, and I joined them towards the end of her birth. I am so glad I made it in time! Mama L was so powerful and so strong. She knew what to do. She trusted her body and she birthed him beautifully.  This Blog Post was originally written on April 22, 2015 The impossible happened - I became a cover model. I would have never imagined that this would happen, and definitely not in my underwear, being the largest I've ever been (when not pregnant), and with my two kids in my arms. But it happened, and I'm proud.
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AuthorSamantha Garcia Gagnon is a birth worker in Pitt Meadows, British Columbia. She has a special focus on supporting physiologic home births and shares her years of experience and knowledge in this blog. Archives
August 2021
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Proudly supporting postpartum families in Pitt Meadows, Maple Ridge, Port Coquitlam, Coquitlam. Port Moody, Langley,
Surrey and New Westminster. Filled with gratitude to be living and working in the unceded and ancestral home of the Katzie, Kwikwetlem, Matsqui, Kwantlen, and Semiahmoo First Nations. |
© SAMANTHA GAGNON BIRTH WORKER 2021. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.