Hungry Mama Bites

I made this for my Birthing from Within and Mom's classes last week and it was a big hit.  You could basically put what ever you want in here as long as you have a good proportion of dry to sticky ingredients.

Hungry Pregnant/New Mama Bites  

(makes 36-40 bites)

2 cups oatmeal

1 cup peanut butter (or other nut butter)

1/2 cup honey, agave, maple syrup or cooked dates (or a combination)

3 tablespoons coconut oil

1 cup coconut flakes

1/2 cup ground flaxseed, chia or hemp hearts

1/2 cup chopped nuts

1 cup chocolate chips or raisins

2 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp salt

Mix everything above in a medium bowl until thoroughly incorporated.  Let chill in the refrigerator for half an hour.  Once chilled, roll into balls and enjoy!  Freeze balls to help them bind together.

This recipe is adapted from http://smashedpeasandcarrots.blogspot.ca/2011/08/no-bake-energy-bites-recipe.html

Parents' Individual Needs and Differences Determine Class Content

Birthing from Within Classes are designed as gourmet meals, where parents can 'order up' different dishes  depending on their needs and appetites.

In a six week series, each class is a meal, which includes:

• APPETIZER: some type of introduction to whet the appetite
• BREAD BASKET: this is the pain-coping.  1/3 of each class is spent on learning practical skills that parents can use during labour.
• MAIN COURSE: the 'meat and potatoes' or practical information.
• SIDE DISH: enhances the main course.  It can include birth art, role plays or other activities to initiate parents - moving from the known into the unknown of birth and parenthood.
• DESSERT: closing the class by celebrating the pregnancy and upcoming birth.

A weekend class is designed the same way, with three complete meals on the Saturday and three more on the Sunday.

I have at least 50-60 hours of potential content and 15 hours of class time.  So while I follow this menu, and I have a general idea of what types of things might come up, the same class from one series to another can be very different depending on what kinds of questions parents ask.

I always begin the first class by asking:  "What would need to happen during this class to make it worthwhile for you?" and I use that in my preparation and delivery of class content.

The one thing I don't spend too much time on is providing a lot of obstetrical information.  I find that people who are interested in medical information usually have a lot of it by the time they take the class.  I am always happy to recommend books to parents and there are some suggestions on my website and this blog. Birthing from Within is really about learning what birth might be like from the parents point of view and to prepare them for their own birth experience.

Topics covered in a typical Birthing from Within Class:

• How to cope with pain in labour (what it might look like, practical non-medical and medical ways of coping)
• Nutrition and physical health for pregnancy and postpartum, including breastfeeding.
• Labour itself:  early signs, a 'map' of labour, things that help labour progress, what might a 'normal' labour look like.
• Unexpected events: Induction and Cesarean Birth are covered
• Special class for dads:  dad's role as the main support person; special concerns of dads
• Life with Baby: includes expectations, practical information, where to get help
• Ways to celebrate birth and new parenthood
• And lots more....

Please get in touch with me to register for the classes I am offering in Lethbridge and check out www.birthingfromwithin.com to find Birthing from Within Mentors in other parts of the world.

Like my Birthing From Within Lethbridge Facebook page for interesting information and connection to community resources.

The Essence of Childbirth Preparation is Self-Discovery...

...not assimilating obstetrical information.


This the second Birthing from Within® principle.  For some of us, when we are first pregnant, we start to read all the 'books'.  The ones about what happens every week during pregnancy, describing: the birth, the dilation, effacement, induction, ruptured membranes, prolapsed cords, and on and on. Sometimes, the desire to get 'all the information' comes from a belief that the more we know about these kinds of things, the 'better' our birth will be. A good question to ask ourselves is: what kind of information are we getting from these books and how will it help us to prepare for and give birth to our baby?

Many books and childbirth classes present primarily obstetric information, which is simply technical, medical information about birth.  This is information that is especially useful if you are a doctor, nurse or midwife and you need to determine what is happening medically during a birth.  As a parent, this information can be interesting to read, but it is not necessarily relevant when you are actually going through the experience of labour.

Are we looking for a magical formula for the perfect birth?  Or do we just want to gather as much information as possible and leave ourselves open to all the possibilities? Maybe what we are looking for is something else, something to help us in our journey and these books are what is available to us.

We are very much a society that emphasizes solving problems, getting the 'right' answer and planning for everything.  Birth is about surrendering to the unknown, and accepting that we will get there regardless of what we do or don't do to prepare.  One of the things we do as part of Birthing from Within childbirth preparation is to use the labyrinth as a metaphor for the childbirth experience.  (Click here for an article about this).  The labyrinth allows us to look at birth as a journey, where we are challenged, we face the unexpected, we doubt ourselves and we move forward and reach the centre (i.e. the birth of our baby).  Birth gives us the opportunity to really learn about ourselves and to emerge as parents.  This is as true for fathers as well as mothers.

It is important that we do the amount of preparation that feels right to us.  For some people it is reading and taking two or three different prenatal classes and hiring a doula and joining groups online and talking to everyone they know who has ever had a baby.  For others, it is blocking out all medical information about birth and just preparing emotionally.  Or somewhere in between. There is no right or wrong way to prepare.  What is useful to understand is that we are all going on the same journey, in the sense that it is unpredictable and there is no magic formula or right way to do it.

Birthing from Within childbirth classes are unique in that people with very different kinds of approaches to birth preparation are able to benefit, as long as you are willing to learn about yourself and move forward on your journey, one step at a time.

If you are interested in a Birthing from Within Class and you live in the Lethbridge area, please contact me for more information.  If you live somewhere else, please check out Birthing from Within's website to find a Mentor in your area

Childbirth is a Profound Rite of Passage...

...not a medical event (even when medical care is part of the birth)


This the first of Birthing From Within's 14 guiding principles.


I have been talking to lots of people in my community lately about Birthing from Within® and how the childbirth classes I mentor offer something completely different, and it seems like the principles are a gateway to that explanation.


So I am going to look at the principles over the next few weeks and give you my interpretation of them.


A Rite of Passage
a significant event in a transitional period of someone's life


Sometimes it feels like birth in our culture is really polarized between a medical birth and a 'natural' birth, with value judgements about one 'type' being better than another.  Many of us who work in birth recognize how destructive it is for women to categorize their birth one way or the other.  To me the piece that is important is understanding that all women who become mothers undergo a significant life change and that acknowledging and respecting this truth brings us together and allows us to support each other through this rite of passage.


Regardless of where we are giving birth or what expected or unexpected thing happen during the birth, every women experiences this life changing event.  Birthing From Within childbirth preparation validates the understanding a mother has about her own birth, motivates the parents to make the choices that are best for them, educates that birth is hard work and it changes you as a person, initiates the parents into the birthing experience and celebrates the strength and resilience of all mothers and babies.


Please contact me for more information about these amazing classes and check out www.birthingfromwithin.com

Birthing from Within Classes starting in September in Lethbridge

Are you interested in an alternative to traditional birth classes that help you prepare fully for your birth?

Are you looking for ways to cope with pain that are easy to learn and effective during labour?

Do you understand that birth is unpredictable and do you want to be prepared for whatever happens?

 Partners: do you want to learn to be the best possible support person for your spouse?

Do you want the chance to embrace and celebrate the life changes that come with pregnancy, birth and parenthood?

For more information and to register contact:

Ellie Colver CD(DONA) PCD(DONA)

elliedoula@gmail.com

403-524-1721/403-360-7878

www.elliedoula.com

I am a Birthing from Within Mentor/Childbirth Educator and a DONA International certified Birth and Postpartum Doula.

I also offer Prenatal, Labour and Postpartum Doula Support.

FALL 2011 BIRTHING FROM WITHIN® GROUP SESSIONS:

SESSION #1: Weekend Intensive September 24-25

SESSION # 2: Wednesday Evenings Nov. 2 - Dec. 7

Private classes are also available

LABOUR IS HARD. IT HURTS. YOU CAN DO IT.

www.birthingfromwithin.com