Today I realized that it's been almost a year since my dear friend Shannon & her hubby Cory decided to announce their plans to adopt... and I still haven't blogged about it!!

For some reason God put it on my heart to do so today and I'd like to take a moment to share a little about their journey.

Shannon is an amazing woman... a mama of 3, a doula, a lover of music, a woman after Christ, & one of the best friends a gal could ever ask for. Funny thing about Shannon & I... we've never met. We connected on Twitter about 2 years ago & instantly clicked. We joke that we were separated at birth, but seriously it was kismet. 

It's odd being so close with someone you've never met in person. Sometimes I feel like I can trust her more than others who have been present in my life for years, even decades... but I digress. This post isn't about Shannon and me and our crazy kindred friendship.

It's about Shannon, Cory, Cian, Teagan, & Fionn...The Church Family. But more importantly it's about Finding Church, their beautiful little child of God who has yet to arrive from Ethiopia. 

As of this moment, they do not yet know who will be joining their family, but in all honesty I don't think it matters. God has blessed them with the gift of going through this process and has entrusted this beautiful child into their hands. And they have graciously accepted this gift and all of the joys and challenges that come along with it. I'm sure not knowing has been a challenge, but that's what faith is all about right? 

I never really knew how amazing (and time consuming) the adoption process was, but through Shannon I have come to learn more and more about what is involved. Man oh man, does it sound tedious! But I think I can speak for Shannon & anyone else who has adopted, that it is entirely worth it. It's a process that I, myself hope to partake in one day.

The thing I love most about their journey (other than the fact that they're following God so faithfully) is the creative ways they're going about raising money. Over the past year they have held a yard sale, they have collaborated with different businesses (including an awesome tattoo parlor that gifted some stunning designs to the cause), and now they're holding a giveaway. Rather than raising money the conventional way of simply asking for donations (which they accept by the way), they are giving people the opportunity to really get involved. How awesome would it be to look at your tattoo and know that you helped bring a child home?! It pulls at my heart strings just thinking about it.

God has been showing up in this process in some amazing ways and I am overjoyed to be able to watch how He is moving. I trust that God will continue to provide for them and will continue to show Himself in insurmountable ways. Shannon & Cory are more than half way to their fundraising goal and are still going strong in the creativity department! I mentioned a giveaway earlier... you'll definitely want to check that out!! You can also hear about the journey from Shannon & Cory themselves by following their blog at FindingChurch.net. This is also the place you can donate or enter the giveaway. In addition to financial support I know Shannon & Cory would appreciate a multitude of prayers as they continue on this journey.

Won't you be a part of the Finding Church journey??


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As part of my personal passion to help normalize birth, I have decided to post birth videos on a monthly basis. These videos are a testament to the strength of all women & the beauty of God's divine creation. 

To be warned, some of these videos will undoubtedly be somewhat graphic... I mean it's the birth of a baby for gosh sakes! If you're offended by blood, nudity, vaginal birth, or anything of the like, I wouldn't recommend watching.

Feel free to leave comments or ask questions, but please be respectful of birthing women everywhere (especially the one's depicted in the videos!)
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These past few years of doula work & midwifery school have really opened my eyes to the importance of nutrition in our lives, especially in the lives of pregnant women. So many women have the misconception that they can eat anything & everything during their pregnancy and that it won't matter. This couldn't be further from the truth. Nutrition during pregnancy is so incredibly crucial for the health of both mama & baby, but not everyone knows that a lack of balanced nutrition can seriously impact the outcome of your birth. 

Research shows that proper nutrition is a protective action for the body. This is definitely true in pregnancy as it allows for the adequate expansion of blood volume which can prevent toxemia. Most midwives & nutritional experts recommend that pregnant women get the necessary vitamins & minerals from food sources instead of supplements. Our bodies were made to absorb the nutritional content from food more readily & effectively than from a supplement. This is also a recommendation for non-pregnant individuals!

Focus on nutrition has become a dying art in our society, especially in the world of obstetrics. I can't tell you how many clients have told me that their obstetricians never mention nutrition... that is until there becomes an issue with weight on the scale. Our society is so obsessed with weight, but rarely stresses the importance of PROPER nourishment. It is my personal opinion that weight is only a small factor in overall issue of one's health. But I digress...

In an effort to shine the spotlight on our lack of knowledge in the nutritional arena, I have decided to share healthy, balanced, & delicious recipes on a monthly basis. I would love to hear your feedback if you make any of the recipes!! 

If you would like more information on meeting your nutritional needs in pregnancy, please visit The Pregnancy Pantry. This is a project that my fellow midwifery students & I created for all pregnant women. We'd appreciate any feedback!

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As part of my personal passion to help normalize birth, I have decided to post birth videos on a monthly basis. These videos are a testament to the strength of all women & the beauty of God's divine creation. 

To be warned, some of these videos will undoubtedly be somewhat graphic... I mean it's the birth of a baby for gosh sakes! If you're offended by blood, nudity, vaginal birth, or anything of the like, I wouldn't recommend watching.

Feel free to leave comments or ask questions, but please be respectful of birthing women everywhere (especially the one's depicted in the videos!).

1 Comment
 
 
As part of my personal passion to help normalize birth, I have decided to post birth videos on a monthly basis. These videos are a testament to the strength of all women & the beauty of God's divine creation. 

To be warned, some of these videos will undoubtedly be somewhat graphic... I mean it's the birth of a baby for gosh sakes! If you're offended by blood, vaginal birth, or anything of the like, I wouldn't recommend watching.

Feel free to leave comments or ask questions, but please be respectful of birthing women everywhere (especially the one's depicted in the videos!).
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If you're moving along into your 2nd or 3rd Trimester, you've probably begun sleeping on your side. Often times this causes pain or numbness in the hips, as well as restlesness in the legs. By practicing Trikonasana or Triangle Pose you will be able to stretch the outer hip and the inner thighs, strengthen the legs, and elongate the spine. For this pose you may need a yoga block or a similar prop like a sturdy book will do.

To begin, start in a wide-leg stance with the legs 3 to 4 feet apart. Turn the left foot out so the heel is in line with the arch of the right foot. Keep the left leg straight, but make sure the top of the thigh, the knee, and the foot are in line with each other. Place the block on the inside of your left foot.

Bring the arms parallel to the floor and gaze over your left arms. Reach the left arm forward following the direction of your gaze as you tilt the pelvis. Keeping both sides of the torso even, lower your left hand to the block or the the left shin. Use the block or your shin only if necessary. Do not place the entire weight of your upper body on the block/shin. Keep your legs strong. 

While creating firmness in the legs, continue to extend the left ribs as you stretch the right arm vertically and rotate the right hip and shoulder upward. If it is comfortable for your neck look up at your right hand. If not, just look forward, but keep the head lifted and the spine elongated. 

Breathe normally and stay in the pose for 5-8 breaths. To challenge yourself, lift the hand off of the block to increase the strength in the legs further.

When you are ready to release from the pose, bend the left knee and bring yourself up to Warrior 2 (click here to see information on this pose). Turn the left toes to face the same as the right, then turn the right foot out so the heel is in line with the left arch. Now that you've changed legs, continue on this side and hold for 5-8 breaths. Return to Warrior 2. Turn the right toes in so now you're in a wide leg stance with the feet parallel to each other. 

From here you have two options. You can simply “heel-toe” walk the feet together, round out the spine and come to standing. Or you can take a wide-leg forward fold. For the fold, place your hands on your hips and fold toward the floor with a flat back. Bring your hands to the floor or a block, keep your legs straight (if your hamstrings are tight you can give a slight bend to the knees), relax your low back. Take 3-5 breaths here before you “heel-toe” walk the feet together and come to standing.  
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I am always telling my students to avoid cliches. I ask them to think beyond the overused to something more creative...and yet, I sit here about to wax metaphorically about the birth of my child making me whole (yep, two were in that last sentence).

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Amber & precious baby Nora.


But this "making me whole again" captures in simplicity the entire journey for me from pregnancy to childbirth.

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As part of my personal passion to help normalize birth, I have decided to post birth videos on a monthly  basis. These videos are a testament to the strength of all women & the beauty of God's divine creation. 

To be warned, some of these videos will undoubtedly be somewhat graphic... I mean it's the birth of a baby for gosh sakes! If you're offended by blood, vaginal birth, or anything of the like, I wouldn't recommend watching.

Feel free to leave comments or ask questions, but please be respectful of birthing women everywhere (especially the one's depicted in the videos!).

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Once you begin to sleep on your side and your baby continues to grow, you may notice a lot of pressure in your hips and some soreness on the outside of the hips & buttocks. Fire Log pose is a great solution for stretching the hips, the sciatic nerve, and the buttocks. Like all yoga poses, it is extremely important to take your time to come into the pose and once there, take a moment to notice how it feels. Adjust if needed or come out of the pose if it is painful.

To begin start sitting on your mat with your legs extended straight in front of you. Elongate the spine here and then remove any extra flesh from underneath your sit-bones. Flex the feet, bringing the toes up toward the ceiling and then go ahead and roll your feet around a few times in both directions.

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One of my services as a doula is postpartum support, not only during those first few weeks after the baby is born, but in the months and even years following the birth. Often my clients ask me questions about weight loss and I find that it is a really sensitive subject for a lot of new moms. 

I'm pretty sure society and the media are large factors in what causes postpartum weight loss (or the lack thereof) to be such a big issue for women. Daily we are bombarded with images of celebrities who have personal chefs and personal trainers to keep them on track. We also see headlines like the one recently in the news entitled "Gisele Bundchen Shows Off Her Post-Baby Bikini Body"... these types of images and news stories are extremely discouraging and quite honestly not helpful. 

One of the biggest pieces of advice I have for these new mamas (during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum) is to "listen to your body." My guest blogger today, Michelle Hastie, has elaborated on that piece of advice with her post...


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