• Being pregnant hurts. Your gums bleed. Your teeth feel loose. Your pelvis gets wonky and your back sore. Your feet swell and you can’t wear your rings anymore. This is all a normal part of being pregnant, but that doesn’t mean you just have to deal. Go see a chiropractor to help with your muscle and bone aches. Drink oatstraw tea to help with bleeding gums. Rest as much as possible. Take care of yourself and your baby. Get a massage and try Reiki.

• Sex may not be fun anymore. As pregnancy advances you may hate the idea of having sex. And that’s okay as well. You don’t have to have sex. The other option is to try to get creative with positions that accommodate your growing belly. Keep in mind that you probably won’t be having sex for the first 6 weeks postpartum and sex now may help you relax a little. But in the end, this is your body and you know best how you feel.

• We spend our whole adult lives trying not to pee in our pants and then we get pregnant and we sometimes pee in our pants. Relaxin is a hormone that helps get your body nice and stretchy and ready for labor. This hormone, along with the pressure of the baby and uterus and amniotic fluid sitting right on top of your bladder, may cause you to accidently pee a little. It’s okay, nothing is wrong with you. This may also happen postpartum. You can visit a practitioner who does pelvic floor work or a chiro to help you on with this one.

And so here is another article about natural childbirth that made it to sheep media: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/ReproductiveHealth/story?id=5462833&page=2

The first step is to give us a call (503.737.8834). We’ll talk about when you’re due, where you’re giving birth and what you want to learn. I’ll then email you an agenda based on that information. You email me back and let me know if you agree to the topics. We then schedule dates for me to come to your house.

To your home I bring childbirth movies, large posters, model newborns, pelvises and placentas and art supplies (if you want that). We start the session with a small check in and end with a special closing activity. Each session is 60 – 90 minutes and there is a lot of information passed and always time for questions. At all the sessions you will receive handouts, activities, feedback, homework and community resources.

Private childbirth classes are a great option for busy folks, those that have specific needs and moms who just don’t feel like leaving home one more time.

If you’re interested in learning more, feel free to call or email.

And who knows why the URL implies that being a model makes water birth sexy, I’m sure she sweated and moaned and bleed like the rest of us.

-Anne Frye, Holistic Midwifery Volume 1

What made Portland so awesomly birth friendly? Portland has tons of health food options, walkability, many many many birth options and exceptional breasfeeding rates! The survey was based on 47 different critera, and here’s a look at some Portland stats:

• Relative to population, Portland has more specialty retailers of healthy/organic foods and vitamins than most places.

• Portland has 150 miles of stroller-friendly trails and public pathways, according to a survey of parks departments. In a per capita comparison, that’s 163 percent more than the average city surveyed (3rd highest overall relative to population).

• 14.9 percent of births statewide are attended by midwives. That’s 98 percent more than average. Midwifery is more widely available in Portland than anywhere else surveyed, with 189 percent more midwives than average. Relative to the number of live births per year, Portland has 64 percent more doulas than average–that figure is the 5th highest in the survey.

• 25 percent of babies in Oregon are born via Cesarean section. That rate is 8 percent less than average, and among the lowest in the survey.

• 26.6 percent of Portland mothers breastfeed their babies exclusively (meaning no solids, formula, or other liquids) for six months or longer (as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics.) That’s among the top 2 percent of cities in the survey. Eighty-nine percent of Portland mothers attempt breastfeeding. That’s the highest percentage of any city in the report. Portland moms are 20 percent more likely than average to at least try breastfeeding. Compared to the number of babies born, Portland has 81 percent more lactation consultants than average. That’s the 2nd highest ratio Fit Pregnancy found. And, once Portland mothers begin breastfeeding, they are 19 percent more likely than average to continue through 6 months. That’s the 3rd highest level of follow-through of any city studied. Finally, By six months of age, 42 percent of Portland babies are still being breastfed. That’s the highest percentage of any city in the report.

• According to data from the CDC, maternal mortality in Oregon is especially low. (My own comment: you can thank midwives and childbirth education for this one.)

• Portland babies are 22 percent less likely than average to be born prematurely.

• Oregon allows greater dependent-related tax breaks than most.

• Portland babies are 25 percent less likely than average to be born with low birth weight.

Classes are usually scheduled based on interest and season (winter, spring, summer, fall), please contact us to be added to the list of expecting parents scheduled to attend this class. Classes are held in NE Portland, off of 15th Street, about a mile north of Alberta St. If a group of friends get together to take this class, we may also be willing to come to your home for each session.

Cost of class is $125 – $150 per couple for 4, 2 hour sessions. Minimum of 2 couples, max of 5.

When: Sign up for March 2010 class sessions. Day and time will be determined by class interest.
Where: NE Bryant Street., Portland, Oregon 97211
Cost: The Childbirth Series is offered on a sliding scale, based on what each person can afford and ranges from $125 – $150 per couple.
Details: At each session you will receive evidence-based handouts about each topic, community resources to take home, potential friendship with other expecting couples, the safe space to share stories, concerns and questions and a group that will support you throughout the rest of your pregnancy.

Bowenwork is gentle, holistic manual therapy designed to release tension and holding patterns that no longer serve you, with the added bonus of deep relaxation and a greater sense of well being. This therapy can be of great benefit to women who are trying to get pregnant, who already are pregnant and during the postpartum period.

Preconception, Bowenwork ensures that your tissue is healthy to support a pregnancy. And this isn’t just for the woman. Couples who are trying to get pregnant can receive Bowenwork together to enhance their fertility.

Most pregnant women experience “wobbly pelvis”, “wonky hips” and back pain. Your body is shifting and stretching to accommodate a growing baby and preparing you for the hard work of birth. These body aches are not something that you have to “just deal with” as part of your pregnancy. Every pregnant mama deserves the opportunity to experience hands on healing to help her be more comfortable.

Postpartum, a woman’s body has been through a lot. Her tissues have stretched and dilated, her muscles have contracted and she has used stores of energy to birth a baby. Bowenwork can help release tension patterns created during labor and set mom back to right after a session.

The Bowen Technique originated in the 1950’s by an Australian named Tom Bowen. He observed interconnectedness throughout the body and worked on each relationship until he was able to confidently develop moves and procedures that set the body back in balance.

In the UK, Bowenwork is often used by midwives as a standard of care to help ensure a woman is comfortable enough to sleep, her ligaments are relaxing prior to birth and baby and pelvis are lining up – just to name a few common uses.

Bowenwork has also been successfully used to turn a breech baby. An example I read by Mary Falk, a Bowen practitioner, was of a mom in her 36th week. She was seen once where a combination of moves on her back and lower pelvis were used and a week later her baby had turned head down.

So what is a session like? I worked with Meigra Simon, a Bowen worker in SE Portland. Fully clothed, I laid on her table where she would lightly touch parts of my body. The pressure was similar to cranial sacral work, the difference was that Meigra left the room for a few minutes after each move. The thought behind the practitioner leaving the client alone is to allow each move to integrate deeply into the body.

The session was about an hour long and left me completely relaxed. I drifted in and out of sleep while on the table, completely undisturbed by Meigra’s coming and going quietly.

Wondering if Bowenwork is right for you? Call Meigra Simon and ask questions, she’s happy to chat with you and answer anything. I know I’ve been talking about it to pregnant mamas.

OHSU researches from neurology and OB/Gyn compare three interventions for low back pain during pregnancy:
Exercise
Spinal manipulation
Mindy-body treatment (neuroemotional technique)

To participate you must be:
Pregnant with one baby
At least 20 years old
Healthy
Pain started in pregnancy

If eligible you receive:
Intervention
Exam
$20 each visit

Time commitment:
30-90 minutes per visit
Start at any time in pregnancy
End at birth

For more  information call:
Caroline Peterson, DC, PhD, MPH
503.367.1172