Preparing For An Unassisted Home Water Birth

I want to start off this post by saying there is really only one thing you need to birth at home, in a hospital or birth center, unassisted or attended, and that is a pregnant woman in labor! While it is so beneficial to be prepared as possible, we think it is important for all women to grasp this very foundational concept, that your body was designed for carrying life and giving birth in the most natural and instinctual way, without help or intervention! Now, that doesn't mean you can't ask for assistance or have people attending your births, for whatever resonates with where your family is at will be what is best for that birth experience; it simply means you understand the significance of the innate ability you possess within your Divine female form to carry life and give birth. 

Because we are choosing to birth at home without assistance, and because this is our first pregnancy, I felt inclined to spend a lot of time educating myself on the more ancient practices and traditions of birth. I will be thankful to not have to do that again in future pregnancies! It truly was an investment of time and energy that I believe could be made so much simpler if we would allow these "old ways" to become common and normal practices amongst women and their communities once again. There is so much medicine in our bodies and in the earth! It is amazing how well we have been provided for by the Creator of this Universe. With that being said, I want to make clear once again that all of these birth supplies are truly accommodations, and none of them should be considered necessary for birth. It was simply a blessing and a gift to be able to put together so many nice things for bringing in our sweet babe! So without further delay, I present to you... our unassisted home water birth supplies!

First I'll start off with the tub we chose. There are so many birth tubs out there with options for buying and renting, and they can get pretty expensive. After really looking in to the benefits of a "real" birthing pool and getting feedback from a lot of home birthing families, we decided to buy an inflatable kiddie pool that is perfectly suited for birth and comes highly recommended in the water birthing community! You can view the one we purchased here.



To inflate the tub we bought an electric pump. We tested it out and it only takes about seven minutes to  fill! For getting water in the tub, we purchased tap adapters that connect a drinking grade water hose to the bathroom sink. I know some people just use a regular garden hose, but we felt it was important to spend the few extra dollars it cost to be sure there was no lead or other toxins leached through a regular hose.





We purchased a few shower curtains and flannel-backed table cloths to lay down on the floor under and around the tub, as well as for on the couch and the bed, in case I want to move around during birth. I've heard you can never have enough towels, so we have about a dozen of those for keeping dry, as well as half a dozen receiving blankets and washcloths for Luna.



I've put together a pretty extensive collection of herbs & oils for during and after birth. It has always been a dream of mine to open a shop for handcrafted herbal wellness products and other goods related to conscious living. Oscar and I have been expanding and manifesting this dream through Home In The Hive, and we have spent the past few months tossing around ideas for launching a shop. With all of the encouragement and support we've been getting lately, we really felt inspired to not wait for things to be "perfect" and to just start moving boldly in the direction of our dreams! There is a lot of work we want to do and we have so many ideas for what we'll be selling, but I'm very excited to announce that you can purchase a handful of these products below through our newly-opened Etsy shop!

These are the essential oils and liquid herbal extracts I wanted to have handy. An immunity tonic throat spray, two synergy blends for clearing the airways & promoting free, steady breathing, lavender for calming & relaxation, tea tree for assisting in cleansing the umbilical cord or placenta if necessary. American Ginseng & Ginger are both physical & mental energy stimulators, Echinacea is the herbalists' antibiotic and can serve a multitude of purposes during and after birth, including clearing up systemic infections, mastitis, fevers, as well as it can be used on the umbilical cord to prevent any risk of infection, Passionflower is a natural remedy for hypertension.  

Castor oil is for inducing or speeding up labor, if we really were to feel that was necessary. Lanolin oil is an incredible moisturizer that helps prepare the nipples for breastfeeding. Vitamin E oil is also soothing to the nipples, as well as it helps promote scar-free healing and can be used for perineum tears after they have closed.

Dr. Bronner's unscented soap and aloe vera gel for cleaning Luna & myself. If you haven't used Dr. Bronner's, we're pretty obsessed and convinced its the best soap, if you're into soap!

I had lots of fun making these herbal blends! I've been creating body products for years now, but never for pregnancy. Diving into this new realm was such a treat!

       

The after birth bath tea is a blend of lavender, comfrey, rose petal, yarrow flower, lemon balm, chamomile, calendula, and goldenseal. The labor & after birth tea contains raspberry leaf, hibiscus flower, chamomile, alfalfa, lemon balm, wild cramp bark, motherwort, and nettle. Both of these blends, along with a more detailed description, are available for purchase through our Etsy shop! The placenta blend is for our Lotus Birth, which I wrote about here.





I've heard it's amazing to have something cold & soothing to sit on in the days and weeks following birth, so I prepared pads, or "padsicles", for helping out with that! I was gifted a wonderful after birth healing spray from another mama that I used on the pads (just a light misting) before putting them in bags in the freezer. The spray is a blend of witch hazel, aloe, and lavender essential oil. (Thank you, Lauren!) In case of any minor tearing, I made a slippery elm & comfrey salve, which work like nature's knitting needles! Both the salve and a similar spray are available in our Etsy shop.



The smaller jars are filled with some very powerful Chinese herbs to assist with healing and rejuvenating after giving birth. They were also gifted from a very kind mama. (Thank you, Tiffany!) The blend consists of dang gui, chuan xiong, tao ren, pao jiang, zhi gan cao, and yi mu cao.



In case we need any references during or after labor, I have my notebook compiled of research, an extensive guide to herbal remedies, and the best book I've found so far on educating a person for having a natural birth. We'll also have plenty of good snacks and beverages, candles, music, sage and whatever else we decide for creating the setting we feel inclined towards.

I really want to stress again the importance of internally preparing for birth taking a much higher priority over all the external preparations one can do. I've already given you so much information to digest that I will just end on that note for now, and will likely dedicate a future post to the inward preparation a natural home birth requires. In the meantime, I hope this post has been beneficial to you and please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions! We wish you a wonderful weekend and blessings to everyone currently preparing for an upcoming birth. May you find all the strength and wisdom you desire during this sacred time. Be sure to let us know what you think about the goodies in our Etsy shop and be on the look out for a lot more coming soon!

Love & Light,

Ashley, Oscar, Luna & Francois





      

Meditation: Self-Realization Gardens

With all of the chaotic energy shifts and technological advancements in the world these days, it's no wonder that so many people find themselves drawn towards meditation, yoga, or some other variety of relaxation and mental detox. In addition to our love for yoga, Oscar and I have both dabbled in various forms of meditation over the years and have found it to be a powerful form of spiritual self guidance and connection. 

Lately we've been talking about what we can truly accomplish through meditation, and what it means to be very intentional in that practice as we have been making it part of our daily lives. Meditation is no doubt a spiritual, emotional, and mental discipline. For many, the act of sitting still for more than a few minutes is a struggle, let alone sitting for an hour or more, clearing the mind of thought, being present to the moment and the breath. Or when there are things to meditate on, where thought is required, but judgement must be left at the door. Again, a discipline that does not come easily for the ego.

But as with anything that does not come easily, it usually always comes with a reward, and meditation is no exception. Powerful energy can be harnessed and intentions manifested during meditation. Hearts can soften, beliefs expand, forgiveness take place, bitterness be released, new ideas formed, the spirit world and earth's magic tapped into. There are many styles and forms of meditation and we encourage everyone to dig a little deeper into their spiritual practice and see what you might find that resonates with your soul! 

Regardless of how we choose to meditate, it's no question that our atmosphere plays a huge role in the type of energy that will be created. A few weeks ago, Oscar and I drove up the coast about thirty miles to a little beach town called Encinitas, home of the Self-Realization Fellowship Meditation Gardens. Knowing Luna would be joining us soon (still waiting!) we wanted to go somewhere special to center ourselves in preparation for her birth. It was an absolutely beautiful day and the gardens were glowing golden and green. It was incredibly grounding to contemplate the many ponds of coy fish older than ourselves. Oscar and I both felt strong connections with these animals and their ancient spirits. The gardens are wonderfully situated by the ocean and we had a radiant time soaking in the salt and sun, creating positive energy and intention for our little one. If you visit or live in the San Diego area, I highly encourage you to check this place out!

Make it a great weekend and don't forget to shine!

   

Lotus Birth

When thinking about your birth plan, a big decision revolves around how will you handle the third stage of labor, the cutting of the umbilical cord & delivery of the placenta. Although it is something a lot of families don't consider, it is a very important decision for the health of mother and baby. Most doctors favor clamping and cutting the cord within seconds of birth, whereas midwives almost always advocate for delaying cord cutting until it stops pulsating - an average of fifteen minutes. The reason for this delay being what is referred to as "placental transfusion". During the nine months spent in womb, the baby is attached to the placenta as a life line, relying on it to provide oxygen, nutrients, filter toxins and clear waste. Because of this shared circulation, a significant amount of the baby's total blood volume can be in the placenta at any given time. In the minutes after birth, while the umbilical cord is still pulsating, the newborn baby will receive a transfusion from their own placenta providing them with red blood cells, stem cells, immune cells, a few months worth of iron supply, and approximately 30% more blood volume. When the cord is cut before "pulsing out", the baby misses out on this perfectly orchestrated transition from womb to world. We have always been an advocate for delayed cord cutting because of the obvious health benefits, but since we view health in such a multi-dimensional way, we really wanted to look beyond just the physical factors when deciding how we would handle this third stage of birth.

Our desire is to bring Luna into this world in the most natural, gentle way possible. Because of this, we have decided to do what is known as a Lotus Birth, leaving Luna attached to her placenta until she decides to naturally separate from it, typically 3-10 days after birth. By giving ourselves and her this sacred time to adjust to a new world, we believe we are spiritually and energetically creating the safest and most undisturbed environment that will allow her to gently acclimate to earth. The "inconvenience" of having cord and placenta attached to Luna in the days following birth will actually allow for our family to slow down, stay immobile, fall in love, and truly reflect on the wonder and miracle of birth and life. We look forward to embracing the power of this experience and truly believe it will allow Luna to gently fall in tune with nature's rhythms.

Because it is an organ, the placenta does need to be taken good care of after birth to ensure no infection, offensive smell, or harm to the baby. It is actually a very simple process. There is no rush to do anything with the placenta immediately after birth. It can be kept in a bowl next to the mother during the first precious hours of primal bonding. After that time, the placenta should be rinsed cleaned and placed in a special container or wrapped in cloths. We have decided on using a bamboo steamer for the natural material it offers, and for the allowance of good air circulation. A combination of powdered herbs and sea salt should be applied generously to both sides to assist in drying the placenta and minimizing any scent it may have. The herbs and salt, as well as any cloth material, should be changed daily until natural separation occurs. Lavender and rosemary are the herbs that come most highly recommended. We also added rose petals and sage to the mix, and plan to make a ceremonial cover of fresh flowers for her as well.

I took a few photos during the process to share here with you, and there will be more coming soon after Luna's birth! We hope this post has been of benefit to anyone wanting to learn more about conscious Lotus Birth and as always, please don't hesitate to ask any questions!

Lavender, rose petals & sea salt

Lightly powdered (I use a coffee grinder!)

Rosemary & sage

Bamboo steamer

Resources:

Delayed cord clamping
Childbirth with love
Lotus Birth questions

Hope you're having a fantastic full moon weekend and basking in the goodness of God's blessings!



     

Recipe: Raw Kalifornia Salad

Happy Summer Solstice! Today marks the longest day (most hours of sunlight) of the year, but that's not the only big celestial event this week. This weekend we're also getting ready for the arrival of the 2013 supermoon, which will deliver the biggest and brightest moon of the year. We're so excited as we love to celebrate earth and her natural cycles, and we also feel this would be the perfect weekend for our Luna to arrive! We really feel this is such a special, important time for everyone to meditate and reflect on their spirit, but especially for those pregnant mamas and their families who are creating and bringing life into the universe. It truly is the perfect time to set your intention for the soul you will be a vessel for bringing, and how you will walk in the role of motherhood. We encourage everyone to soak in the moon & sun this weekend & enjoy the gifts of the earth available to you this time of year!



This is one of our favorite recipes for a perfect kale salad, inspired by California-grown foods (citrus, avocados, tomatoes, oh my!) and the urge to snack on something crisp & healthy while beating the summer heat.

Ingredients:

• 5 cups of chopped kale or other dark greens (I used chard, kale, and spinach) 
• 2 cups of chopped red cabbage
• 1 diced cucumber
• 2 avocados, cut into bite-size chunks
• 1 diced heirloom tomato
• 1 cup diced red bell pepper
• 1/4 of a red onion, diced
• Juice from 1 lemon
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp raw apple cider vinegar
• Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

• Once everything is chopped, hand mix/toss in a large bowl
• Make the dressing by mixing lemon juice, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, and s&p
• Drizzle over salad and mix again, not being afraid to mush the avocado! It gives the salad a great consistency
• Serve alone, in a wrap, or with big multigrain chips like we did

Hope you enjoy and make it a very special weekend! Don't forget to play outside and feel the power of the sun & moon!

Luna Cove: Welcome Party

A few weeks ago my wonderful sister and mother threw us a baby shower in honor of Luna's coming arrival. It was such a special celebration and our hearts were filled with joy from all the love surrounding our growing family. We got the photos back this week and I've picked a few of my favorites to share here, but you can check out the full set on the CJeanPhotography blog! 

Welcome to The Hive!

My Grandma's last party/event she was able to attend before passing away.
Such a special blessing and memory for us.

Soon-to-be parents!

My "adopted" Grandma Molly with the quilts she made a few years ago for me and my sisters for our first babies!

All the pregnant bellies... plus my Dad! :)

Wishes for Baby - so neat to have all of these blessings and sweet notes!

Hope you enjoyed a little bit of our celebration and were able to feel the love! Be sure to check out the rest of the photos here. Wishing you all a beautiful, happy, peace-filled week ahead!