Healthy Mama Oatmeal Cookies

This recipe is adapted from epicurious.com. They call them lactation cookies and they are excellent for moms (and kids), whether or not they are breastfeeding.

This is a double recipe.  You can cook and freeze them.

Ingredients

8 Tbsp water
4 Tbsp flaxseed meal 

1 1/4 cups butter

3/4 cup peanut butter
1 cup agave (or 1 1/2 cups brown sugar)
1/2 cup honey

4 Lg eggs
2 tsp vanilla
4 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp salt
6 cups thick cut oats
1 cup chocolate chips

2 cups raisins
4 tbsp Brewers Yeast (no substitutions)


Preheat oven to 375.

Mix flaxseed meal and water, set aside 3-5 minutes.
Cream butter, peanut butter, agave and honey.
Add eggs.
Stir flaxseed mix into butter mix and add vanilla.
Beat until well blended.
Sift: dry ingredients, except oats and choc chips and raisins.
Add butter mix to dry ingredients
Stir in the oats and then the choc chips.
Drop on parchment paper on baking sheet.
Bake 7-9 minutes.

Returning from Birth

This article originally appeared in The Nurturer - a publication of Mommy Connections Lethbridge

Giving birth is a journey.  During pregnancy we prepare.  This preparation might include taking classes, reading books, preparing the baby’s room, having a baby shower and other types of more personal, emotional preparation.

The birth itself is a transition - from the self you were before to the birth of yourself as a mother.  There is a lot of focus in our culture on the well being and experience of the baby. It is equally important that you, as the mother, are nurtured and supported in your new role.  Surround yourself with people who will protect and support you in the first few days and weeks postpartum, while you are learning your new role.

As you learn to recognize yourself as a mom, you may start to wonder what happened to the ‘old you’.  Where is the woman who went to the gym four times a week or who spent an hour a day painting or who cooked gourmet meals? When we have a new baby (or two or three children) sometimes we stop doing other things that give us pleasure and our lives are all consumed by parenthood. This is okay.  For a while.

As time passes many women find that they are starting to return to their old interests, or pick up new ones.  Your world expands again beyond motherhood to include other things.

There was a woman who lived on a farm and had two horses. Before she had kids she rode them every day.  Even well into her pregnancy, she went for rides, spent time with the horses, grooming them and just enjoying their company.  Even though she was happy when her daughter was born, she missed her horses.  So she made a promise to herself that when her daughter was a little older, she would go back to her horses, even if it was only a couple of times a week.  When her daughter was about ten months old, she arranged for a teenage neighbour to come and babysit three times a week so she could go riding.  She saw having that time for herself allowed her to be a better mom.

What I have just described is called the Ceremony of the Return.  Coming out of your birth and early parenting experience and wanting time for yourself is healthy and positive and it helps you come back to your family refreshed. 

You need:           Symbolic object; tags; pot or ground for burial 

·         Think of something you love to do that will be impossible or difficult to do the first year after birth

·         Pick an object that symbolizes/represents that part of your self

·         String and tag the object with a date one year from your baby’s birthday

·         Bury the object in the ground or in a pot.

·         In one year, around baby’s birthday, dig up the object and make a commitment to resume the activity you love.

Good Nutrition is the Number One Thing You Can Do to Ensure a Healthy Baby

Throughout pregnancy, many women receive numerous tests to ensure that their baby is healthy.  While these tests can sometime be helpful in detecting problems, in most cases knowing something is potentially wrong does not actually provide a solution.

The best thing you can do to take care of your baby and yourself is to eat well and stay physically active.  There is no guarantee that if you do all the 'right' things, your baby will be healthy, just as some people do things that research has shown to be harmful and end up with perfectly healthy babies.  Nevertheless, eating well and exercise have been proven by research to improve outcomes for babies overall.  Also, the habits that you form around your diet before and during pregnancy will be passed on to your children.  Babies actually develop a taste for the food that mothers are eating through their amniotic fluid (and later through breast milk) and like those foods themselves.

Here are some specific suggestions (businesses are all Lethbridge-based):

Yoga is great for helping you feel good during pregnancy and preparing your body for birth. Theresa Spencer at Terra Sol Yoga offers classes and workshops for pregnant women and their partners. www.terrasolbodytalk.com

Eat whole, unprocessed food. Avoid processed soy, sugar, corn syrup and artificial sweeteners whenever possible. Many grocery stores have a 15% discount on the first Tuesday of the month, so stock up on healthy, organic food. Look for local produce and meat, as it is often free of pesticides and hormones and it supports local businesses.

Eat as much as you need to of healthy, nutrient rich food and you can expect to gain 28-40 pounds (or more) during your pregnancy. Perfect Fit – Pre & Postnatal Fitness offers classes specifically tailored to pregnant and new moms to help you stay physically active. www.perfectfitness.ca

Taking a DHA (or fish oil) supplement improves your baby’s brain development. Naturistas (424 7 St S) sells prenatal DHA, other prenatal vitamins and many other high quality pregnancy and baby products.

Receiving chiropractic adjustments can be a great way to relieve many of the common discomforts of pregnancy. Many women under chiropractic care report feeling better during the entire pregnancy, better quality of sleep, less morning sickness and a more comfortable labour and delivery. Contact Dr. Amy and Dr Elliott at West Lethbridge Family Chiropractic for more information. 403-327-0070.

Birthing from Within® Childbirth Classes help you prepare for the healthiest, most stress free pregnancy, birth and new parenthood possible. Contact Ellie at elliedoula@gmail.com to learn more about these unique classes.

Take time every day to relax and connect with your baby, even if it is just a few minutes. When you are eating, pay attention to the food, how it tastes and remember that you are nourishing yourself and your new baby.

Join ‘BIRTHING FROM WITHIN LETHBRIDGE’ on facebook for great articles and information to help you in pregnancy, birth and new parenthood and chances to win prizes.

Getting Postpartum Support - A few ideas

Below are some ideas for support with a new baby.  Most of the resources are local to Lethbridge, but the ideas apply to everyone.


When you have the baby, change your voicemail to say:“{NAME} was born {DATE&TIME}, weighing {POUNDS}. We are busy getting to know our baby and we will get in touch when we have all rested a bit.” You can also put a sign on the door if you expect people to stop by.

 Make a list of things that people can help with: Groceries, Meals, Chores, Errands.  This way when they ask what they can do, you can put them to work. Check out www.mealtrain.com to set up an online meal request calendar.

Hire a postpartum doula (if you haven’t already).  A postpartum doula can help you with practical baby care, emotional support, babywearing and anything else you might need.  See www.elliedoula.com for more on postpartum support.

Connect with La Leche League Lethbridge for breastfeeding support.  Meetings are the first Tuesday or Wednesday of each month at the downtown library.  Join the facebook group to get reminders about the meeting or call 403-331-1003 for phone support.  www.lllc.ca.

Find a group of new moms you can connect with.  www.mommyconnections.ca offers postnatal programs for moms in Lethbridge.

If you think you might have postpartum depression, get help.  www.thesmilingmask.com has lots of resources including the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale.  Alberta Health Services offers in-home counselling for women with postpartum depression, free of charge.  Contact Bree Elliott, Mental Health Therapist at 403-388-6666 for more info.

Get a baby carrier and wear your baby as much as possible.  www.ecobabycanada.com is a local business selling great slings, wraps and soft structured carriers, along with help learning how to wear them.  Also join the facebook group for Bridge City Slingers – Lethbridge Baby Wearers, to get support on babywearing and info about meetings.

DADS: If mom is breastfeeding the baby for hours every day what does dad do:

o   Everything else! – find ways to give mom a break (even a short one)

o   Wear your baby in a carrier around the house or go for a walk

o   Change diapers

o   Give the baby a bath or take a bath together

o   Take a nap with the baby (make sure to follow safe co-sleeping practices)

o   Make a meal, or go out and pick up healthy takeout or nutritious snacks

o   Sweep the floor, do a load of laundry, change the sheets on the bed...

o   Support breastfeeding by caring for your partner, so she can care for the child.

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.

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

Happy Mother's Day

I just wanted to take a minute to wish everyone a Happy Mother's Day.

I am very fortunate to be a mother of a lovely two year old.  

I also am lucky to have a profession as a birth and postpartum doula, where my job is to 'mother the mother'.  Simply put, that means I get to play a role in women becoming mothers by supporting them (and their partners) through the birth experience.  I also get to come to their homes and encourage them as they mother their new children and help their older children adjust to a new baby (or babies) in the household.

Clearly I have the best two jobs in the world.  As a mother and a doula.

I planted part of my garden today as a treat to myself.  I hope all the moms out there treat themselves today.  And a little bit everyday.  If you are pregnant or have a newborn, you can treat yourself by hiring a doula.  If you know a special mother (or mother-to-be) who could use this support, doula services can be given as a gift.