Doulas Make a Difference!

My doula clients* hold a special place in my heart. You have to be affected by the beauty and emotion of the event when you are present for something so amazing. It is a huge moment when a person becomes a PARENT. It’s a big deal!

My goal when I am devoting doula services to a mother or couple is to provide all the physical, emotional, and informational support needed to have a wonderful experience, free from worries or fears. The research highlights the benefits of doulas as labor support with the following statistics:

I am currently accepting new clients for JULY 2014- DECEMBER 2014. To view a bit more about doula services I provide, CLICK HERE. To view my DoulaMatch.net profile and availability calender, click DOULA PROFILE.

*If I have attended your birth and you haven’t yet posted a review of the service I’ve provided, please take a moment to follow THIS link and say a few words about what I did and how it made a difference!  Thank you!

The Results Are In!

Curious what others have thought about their massage experiences?

Click below to read verified reviews from Gwen’s actual clients.

How the Webster Chiropractic Technique can Turn a Breech Baby

The Webster In-Utero Constraint Technique, or simply the Webster Technique, takes it one step further. Dr. Larry Webster developed a chiropractic technique that balances the pelvis properly, while also reducing the stress to the ligaments that support the uterus, more specifically the round ligaments. Dr. Webster developed this technique after watching his own daughter suffer through a long, painful labor with a baby in the breech position.

This extremely useful technique is safe, effective, and a very inexpensive alternative to  the major abdominal surgery of a cesarian-section. Read all about it on the Birth Without Fear blog:

How the Webster Chiropractic Technique can Turn a Breech Baby | Birth Without Fear

Hydrate Yourself into Health

“I hate plain water. It’s so boring.”
No, it’s not. You just need to get Creative! 

WATER: Dihydrogen Monoxide: H2O

This amazing little molecule is the entire basis of our existance on our planet. Imagine a world without water- no oceans, no rivers, no icecaps, no LIFE. Your body can’t function without it. You can’t think or move. Do yourself a favor and get a glass of water right now. Go ahead. You know you’re thirsty. It’s good for you. This will be here when you get back…

Got it? Drink up! Ahhhh. Isn’t that better? 

Need some flavor? Fruit! Veggies! Herbs! Not only are they naturally sweet, they also add vital nutrients to the water. Try cucumbers, lemon + lime + orange, strawberry + kiwi, fresh mint, blueberrry + raspberry, cranberries + mint, cucumber + lemon + lime, pomegranate + blueberry, or any combination of your favorites. Chop them, slice them, or mash them. Let them infuse the water for about 30 minutes. You can keep adding more water to the same fruit for about 48 hours, then use new ingredients to keep it fresh. You’ll be amazed how much you’ll enjoy staying hydrated.

If you simply can’t live without your bubbles, get a water carbonating machine**  By using plain water as a base, you control the quality of your beverage by choosing well, tap, or filtered water. Do the environment a favor here and don’t use bottled water. Then pour your fizzy water over your ingredients or throw them directly into the (reusable) bottle for on the go.

Toss some fruit or mint into an icecube tray and make delicious icecubes. As they chill your water, they’ll add flavor. My mom always used to use a bundt cake pan to make gorgeous ice full of colorful fruit for in a punchbowl.

Water, boring?

I hear this all the time as an excuse for excessive soda and sweetened beverage consuption. It isn’t that we are unaware of water’s benefits in hydrating, detoxifying, and energizing, but the marketing of beverages is big business (Coca-Cola’s 2010 advertising budget: $2.9 billion).  There are fizzy, sugared or artificially sweetened, caffeinated option that are marketed to seem more interesting, despite the proven health risks they carry including diabetes, bone calcium depletion/osteoporosis, tooth decay and discoloration, hormone balance disruption, obesity, and cancer- and we drink them because advertising works, not because they are good for us.

The beverage industry rakes in 60 BILLION dollars in soft drink sales annually. This means, each year, people spend $191.83 per man, woman, and child in America* on sodas and sports drinks. According to Static Brain, the average male in the 12- to 19-year age group drinks 868 cans of soda every year! Assuming they mean the standard 12 oz can, that’s 81.375 Gallons of unhealthy chemicals, sugars, and toxins, each. We don’t need sports drinks either. Our diets are laden with sodium and “enriched” foods, providing more than enough electrolyte. Even someone eating a balanced, 100% vegan diet is not going to need electrolyte supplementation.

So, now you know. Set down that curvy little bottle and go get some good ol’ H2Oooooohhhh!

*Population calculation based on U.S. Census Bureau’s end-of-2011 estimate

**If you can hold a wrench, make one yourself (this handy fellow made one for $163.94 that will make thousands of liters.) Sodastream have several home models from $79.95 to $199.99. Carbon cartridge refills are about $30-50 and make 60-130 liters of carbonated water, depending on refill size.

Resources for Parents-to-Be!

These excellent evidence-based handouts are fantastic for informing your discussion with your care provider when you are preparing to give birth. Please feel free, as the author states, to print and share them without alteration. 

Printable Practice Bulletins « Evidence Based Birth.