Unassisted Birth: An Act Of Love

Happy Friday, friends! We're getting ready for a highly anticipated weekend getaway in Big Bear with one of my dearest friends and her sweet family. Looking forward to relaxing by the lake, enjoying good conversation and scrumptious meals. Lately we've been getting asked a lot of questions about our unassisted birth, what that entails, and how we came to our decision. I want to take a few moments to address these questions and share more of where our hearts are at. 

First, what is unassisted birth? Unassisted, or "free" birth is one where no doctors, midwives, or doulas attend. Only the mother and father are present and no pain medications or interventions are used. Typically this takes place in the home, but some freebirthers also choose to birth outdoors. We are preparing for a home water birth.  

Isn't it dangerous? Birth is a natural, God-ordained process, and is not inherently dangerous in any way. In fact, it can be quite pleasurable! Many people believe our modern ways of approaching birth are the direct cause for so many of the dangers that can occur during pregnancy and birth, and they have dedicated their lives to seeing a shift made back towards our natural, spirit-led ways, where men and women can connect with and recognize the possibility for an ecstatic birth experience. One such person is midwife Ina May Gaskin. For anyone interested in the evolution of birth or how the birthing process is designed to work, I encourage you to check out her work!

What if something goes wrong? Many things we understand as complications are just variations to what normally occurs during birth, and most all can be handled without medical intervention. Birthing couples learn to handle these variations (such as breech presentation, cord around the neck, excess bleeding, meconium in the amniotic fluid, and "stuck" shoulders, to name a few) using what they have learned through research and most importantly, through tapping in to their own God-given instinct, which both mother and father will typically spend a great deal of time developing before the baby arrives. There are true (very rare) emergencies that do require hospitalization and anyone planning an unassisted birth will learn to recognize these emergencies, know how to handle them, and whether or not medical assistance is necessary.

From Ina May's first book, Spiritual Midwifery

I hope that helps to answer some of your questions and calm some of the concerns we hear regarding Luna's birth! Personally, we have never looked forward to an event more in our lives. Oscar and I both believe that birth is a powerfully spiritual, sexual, magical, miraculous experience, and when approached as such, can be one of the most enlightening, sacred, transforming processes a person has the opportunity to go through. We are so excited for this chance to connect with the Divine in such a deep and intense way. Such a gift! Luna, we cannot wait to meet you and with all the love we have, bring you through our bodies and into this world.

For more information, check out the following links:

• Ina May Gaskin
• Orgasmic birth
• Unassisted birth stories 
• Unassisted FAQs
• A beautiful birth in nature

World Of Wellness

Hello and happy Thursday! This past week has been a time for rest & restoration here in The Hive. Over the weekend, I had the amazing opportunity to see a new chiropractor AND a new massage therapist, both of whom specialize in pre and post natal care. My massage with Renee was incredibly relaxing and therapeutic. During pregnancy, the body is filled with so much extra blood and water, it's very beneficial for mama and baby to receive a massage for aiding in circulation, improved range of motion, and overall for simple relaxation. Luna was so responsive during the massage, rolling and turning whenever it was feeling particularly good for us. She is definitely going to be a little Zen baby! 

I've been a fan of seeing the chiropractor for many years now, but I've never had an experience quite like the one I had at World of Wellness with Dr. Caserma. I knew I was going to love the place as soon as I saw their anti-flu shot sign in the window, and I was right! Dr. Caserma and her staff were SO incredibly knowledgable and their holistic approach to total body wellness is right up our alley! I used to think that chiropractic care was only for injuries and ailments, but when you think about how important our central nervous system is, it only makes sense that chiropractic care can and should be used consistently throughout life. Chiropractic adjustments restore maximum internal communication between mind, body and spirit. As we align our bodies through holistic practices, we also align our energies and spiritual beings in the same manner. A beautiful connection that so many of us in this society are disconnected from. I'll be looking forward to taking Oscar, and eventually Luna, to this amazing place!

Something Dr. Caserma reminded me of, is the importance of getting a healthy amount of probiotics during pregnancy. (And all the time, really!) Probiotics are organisms such as bacteria or yeast, and these microflora help the body balance all the bacteria (over 500 types!) already existing within the digestive system. Simply put, probiotics are nature's truest form of antibiotics. They help boost and maintain the immune system, prevent infection, and inhibit or destroy harmful bacteria in the body. Probiotics are essential to basic human nutrition and are most commonly found in non-pastuerized yogurts and other dairy products such as kefir (we like the pomegranate-acai!) as well as in fermented foods such as sauerkraut and kimchi. Our personal favorite (and most potent!) way of receiving probiotics is through Kombucha, an effervescent fermented-tea beverage, full of live and active enzymes and detoxifiers. If you haven't tried it, G.T.'s Kombucha is a great place to start! It can be found at most health food stores, and is also gaining popularity in the mainstream, so don't be surprised to find it on the shelves of your commercial grocery store. Kombucha can also be made at home, and though I've never attempted it myself, it's definitely a project I look forward to embarking on in the future. 

That's all for now, folks! Sending lots of good bacteria vibes to you and yours.

Weekend Recap: Maternity Shoot

Happy Monday! Can you believe I didn't take a single picture over the weekend?! Remember what I mentioned in our last post about being tired? Well, it's the truth! Regardless of not feeling enough energy to document our weekend, we did have quite the memorable documentation session with my talented younger sister, Cori Jean. 

Saturday was a perfectly sunny/cloudy spring day in San Diego and we spent the morning/afternoon walking all over Balboa Park with our faithful schnauzer, awesome photographer, and my almost-seven-months belly. It was so much fun! My sister does such a great job and she even brought snacks and water for me, already a little mama bear herself. Can't wait to see more photos from our session!

On Sunday we enjoyed a nice lunch with my family, got the car washed, cleaned the apartment, and I took a nap while Oscar went on another one of his epic bike rides. We both believe in how a person takes care of their body being a reflection of how they care for their spirit, and I just adore Oscar for his passion in these areas and how it strengthens us both. Luna is going to be quite the active lil' lady!

Here's hoping the week ahead is filled with peace, harmony and wellness for you and yours! 

Love On The Table

This is what dinnertime looks like when you are blessed to be with a man who loves taking care of his family and knows how to cook! Corn tortillas, hardy herbed vegetables, pan fried tilapia, chips & salsa, queso fresco, avocado and lime. Delicious! Being pregnant has slowed me down so much, half the time all I can make is a bowl of cereal. So thankful for a man with domestic skills and a heart that lives to serve!

Life is blessed in the Hive, indeed. Here's to a warm, joyous weekend, my friends!

Weekend Recap: Farmer's Market, Pancakes, REI

Hello, friends! I know it's a little late to be doing a recap of the weekend, seeing as how we're almost on to the next, but Luna has been demanding my full-time attention in the areas of sleep and relaxation, so I've been a little slow in getting around to a blog update. Managing exhaustion and surrendering to the pace of life that it can require has definitely been a challenge of pregnancy. I'm so thankful for how much responsibility Oscar takes upon himself in keeping our Hive harmonious, in terms of both our physical and spiritual/emotional needs!

Our three-day weekend ended up being delightfully packed with naps, scrumptious food, mini shopping sprees, and lots of family love. We spent most of Saturday hunting down all the perfect pancake ingredients, and on Sunday the mission turned to creating the perfect ice cream sundae. Both a smashing success! At Ross, I found awesome maternity shorts, a few tank-tops, and a pair of flip-flops, just in time for the warming weather. Oscar used his REI dividend for some cool new bike gear, and the helmet (in pine green!) he's been waiting for finally came in the mail. Francois got a new bed and a new chew toy that should last him for some time. All happy campers! 

Photo recap:

1. Fresh-picked berries! The smell was just divine, I think we could live off these.
2. Dad giving Francois some loving discipline on our walk to the market. Such a good dog! 
3. We live in such a great city, with such great access to local foods and markets.
4. Spring is the time! Aromatherapy and the power of flowers. 
5. Like honey, maple syrup is, in my opinion, just one of those things you pay the extra buck for. The quality difference is simply undeniable. We were made to eat pure!
6. Organic buttermilk pancakes, fresh-picked berries, maple syrup, earth balance, raw walnuts and cacao nibs. For breakfast and dinner!     

That's all for now, folks. Here's hoping your Thursday is wildly fantastic and full of magic! Blessings to you and yours.