New Products!

Massage Oil and Belly Butter

I'm so excited about my new butters! In fact, I've already shipped two orders to moms in Florida and Ohio and am making some for co-workers this week.

The next products I'm working on are for babes-natural Baby Oil and Baby Powder to get away from the regular petroleum and talc products out there.

Stay tuned!

The Price of a Doula

The other day one of my favorite writers, Avital Nethman of The Mamafesto retweeted the following that I tweeted out:Are you pregnant? Do you need a doula? Want one for FREE!? Help me finish my certification! DM me at twitter.com/kavanahdoula 

Another doula and I had an enlightening conversation about the important work that doulas do and how we should value our work by putting a price tag on it. I agreed with what she was saying, heard her voice and her decade's long experience and stubbornly held my ground.

Working as a free doula while I finish my certification, I argued, was a mitzvah, a commandment. It feels like doing the very core of the Jewish concept of tzedakah, righteous giving. She reminded me that the work of women is not only sacred, but important and in the end we agreed that we saw eye-to-eye, but in our own ways.

Jodi the Doula and her very popular blog post "No Free Births" passionately discussed why she feels that doulas should always charge, or barter, their services and she's recently followed up that post with this one, A Doula for Everybody

A few months ago, I wrote a  post called No Free Births!  It was aimed at birthworkers who hope to build a successful private practice by giving their work away. It sat quietly in its own little corner of the blogosphere, minding its own business, until a few days ago. Then… KA-BLAM!  Suddenly, it has had more attention than anything else I’ve ever written.
The responses have ranged from “Right on! Sing it!” to “This heartless woman shouldn’t be a doula!” The question that has come up most often has been, “But what about the mama who needs a doula and can’t afford one?”  Women who become doulas choose this path because, at the heart of who we are, we are compassionate, kind, and often generous people who really just want to help others. That’s exactly as it should be… if we aren’t in this work as an act of service, there really isn’t much point.
First, a word of caution: beware the person who is looking for “something for nothing”. Marketing research has shown repeatedly that the people who ask for discounts are more often able to afford whatever it is they are looking for… they are simply financially savvy enough to seek out “the best deal possible”.  Over the years, discernment has taught me the difference between someone desiring my service because we’re a good fit, and the person seeking me out because I’m the cheapest one they’ve spoken to. (The new cars and the boat in the driveway were a good tip-off…)  There is a significant difference between wanting to help others who would not otherwise have support, and giving away one’s work until the magical “someday when I start charging what I’m worth.” So, what do we, as compassionate people who also value ourselves and our work, do to provide labor support for others when fee is a genuine issue?
It helps to break down the numbers, to recognize exactly what it is we are investing into a free birth. Most doulas incur expenses for every birth we attend. In addition to training and certification, we have expenses for transportation, childcare, meals, internet for email access, cell phones for being on-call, and hospital parking, just to name a few. On average, I have a minimum of $165 in costs per birth, and that’s before I pay taxes on any income I may have. “I’ll do it for free”, when looked at this way, actually becomes “I’ll pay you to let me attend your birth.”  When we’re attending births in this way, it becomes an expensive hobby more than a profession. Most doulas simply do not have the means to work in this way long-term. So, what is a doula to do?
1) Volunteer for a Non-Profit organization.  Many such organizations already exist – a simple web search for “non-profit labor support” and the name of your state may turn up several results. The non-profits that exist in the area in which I live also act as a referral service for their doulas who volunteer, so that those who can afford doula care are more easily able to find the doulas who serve in their area. Non-profits have standards to determine who qualifies for care, and are able to not only provide labor support, but parenting guidance and health education to mamas in need. Through doulas volunteering for small and specific amounts of time, far more women are able to receive help than would be served by one doula alone. The same 40 hours you would contribute to one mama might instead help many! Not a non-profit in your area? Maybe it’s time to consider starting one. Non-profits generate income through grants and donations from outside sources, so that those running the show are able to receive income for the work that they do. Businesses are far more eager to donate time, money, and services to non-profit organizations, because they also benefit from the tax deduction.

Read the rest of the blog post here.

Birth from the People Behind Food Matters

I love absolutely everything about this birth story.  I love it so much I'm going to stop blabbing and just cross post it.



From the Food Matters Blog:
By James Colquhoun, Filmmaker Food Matters &Hungry For Change

For those following us on online and onFacebook (nearly 300k, thank you!!!) you might have seen Laurentine's pregnant belly over the past few months. Well we recently had our baby and we wanted to share our unique story with you. I think you'll find it interesting commentary on birth and the beginnings of life as a human.

I call this an unusual story because it is not the typical hospital style birth that dominates our culture. 

Ever since Laurentine and I first met at college at 1999 (yes we're college sweethearts!) we would joke about starting a family and having lots of kids running around. We did however feel deep down inside that there was some important work calling us before we did so which is indeed what happened.

That work was to become the FOOD MATTERS film which helped heal my father from chronic fatigue syndrome, depression and anxiety plus free him from the pharmaceutical drug bandwagon. Then more recently HUNGRY FOR CHANGE which chronicled our experience with helping my father keep his weight off and covers many of the challenges that most people face when trying detoxes and fad diets. This has cemented our belief in the innate healing capacity of the human body and has influenced our opinions on health, life and birth in a deep and lasting way.

The Mind and The Body Need To Be Ready For Conception
Late last year we knew it was time for us to start a family so we prepared our bodies (both of us, you can't get away with this guys!) most importantly focusing on detoxification and rejuvenating our bodies plus balancing our hormones (testosterone, progesterone and oestrogen in particular). We first tried to conceive in Amsterdam when we were there on a 6 week trip writing the Hungry For Change book and visiting Laurentine's European family. Even though we had our bodies in order it didn't happen right away.

After we returned to the US and settled into our new home in Santa Monica Laurentine and I felt that much more 'nested' and conception happened immediately. There was obviously a part of us that needed to feel like we were home (or had a home base) before her body wished to conceive. I have no scientific data on this but can imagine that you might understand why this could be so.

"We had our inner biological terrain ready but we needed to have our mind's dialed in."

During the gestation period we were eating well and supporting the baby's development as best we knew how (there is a lot of info on this which we can save for another time). In preparation for the birth we consulted many of the experts from the films plus other leading experts and we developed some interesting rituals to help welcome this baby into the world. One of the more interesting ones we loved was making baby feel welcomed, expected and accepted.

You Are Welcomed, You Are Loved, You Are Accepted!
We would say this on a daily basis to baby as we knew this was important in making baby feel welcomed and loved, to develop a strong connection to our voices (which they can connect with from the 3rd  trimester onwards) and to aid in a speedy postpartum connection. This work is backed by Bruce Lipton (author of Biology Of Belief) and helps connect with the baby's subconscious mind in early life.

As for the actual birth and labour process Laurentine and I held the very strong belief that...

Birth Is A Natural Process And Not A Medical Emergency
We of course appreciate that there is no place like a hospital when the safety of mom and baby is compromised and you need emergency critical care however we believed that everything should be allowed to progress as naturally as possible for as long as possible before any intervention (if at all).

Read the rest of this amazing story here.

Another Article About the Cost of Birth in the U.S

Image from CNN.com

This is the third article this month that talks about the high cost of giving birth in the United States. As I've said before, there are many reasons that women birth in hospitals; familiarity, a sense of safety and more. It should also be noted that, and I'm quoting Ina May Gaskin and a number of birth advocates, birth is not a medical procedure. Sure a c-section is medical, but the natural process of giving birth is quite natural and happens just fine when left alone.

I'm a woman with multiple fibroids in my uterus. Did I mention I'm want to start trying to get pregnant in the fall? I'm well aware that because of my fibroids some midwives and birthing centers will automatically make my pregnancy and me "high risk" which basically means that I might not find a midwife willing to let me give birth at home and the only freestanding birthing center in NYC may not accept me...which means that I may be a woman who births in a hospital.

It happens to even the most determined woman.

But you know what:? It's okay. When we, as women, are knowledgeable about our rights, knowledgeable about hospital norms and express those wants and desires through our partners, doulas, and doctors that listen it's still possible to have a natural birth in the hospital.

Of course, hospitals work on schedules and the odds are stacked against you: You may be hooked up to an IV and unable to move around; You may have to labor and give birth on your back (gravity doesn't work that way!); You may only be able to labor for a set amount of time before they try to induce which may lead to a c-section; They may automatically give you a dose of pitocin (that IV is handy, eh?) to help birth the placenta (the placenta usually will birth itself if the baby is sucking at the breast-oxytocin!); They may cut the cord before it's done pulsing; They may wash the baby; They may not put him directly on you...the list goes on and on. But if you know your rights and the hospital's practice (none of these things are necessary and you can decline all of them) you have just as easy a shot (and a cheaper bill) than if you aren't aware.

My point? Educate yourself. Your doctor isn't smarter or more in tune to your body, because it's your body.

"Newer equals improvement" and "More is better than less" have long been effective marketing themes in American culture. But the problem is that in the case of medical technology, the results don't consistently bear that out.

While other countries have set up elaborate systems to assess new medical interventions for their cost effectiveness compared to existing practices before approving them, until recently that has not been a priority in U.S. medical care. The result is that public infatuation with newer technologies merges smoothly with the medical industry's desire to profit from providing more services.
A prime example of this problem is the failure to take advantage of midwife-led birthing centers. These have been found in the U.S. and overseas to be a safe andcost effective alternative to universal reliance on large hospitals. Freestanding birthing centers (as opposed to hospitals which refer to their maternity ward as a "birthing center") are usually directed by midwives and are affiliated with hospitals that serve as a referral site for transfers. The cost savings stem from less reliance on expensive medications and technologies, a shorter stay (mothers typically return home within 24 hours) and lower personnel costs.
While the numbers of birthing centers have increased in the last decade, less than 1 in 300 U.S. births occur in a center. How come?.... The U.S. needs to seriously rethink how we approach maternity care. The first question that needs to be addressed is: Do more tests and reliance on the biggest, most expensive hospital settings actually improve the health of mothers and babies? When they do, great. But when they don't, we need to overcome the financial, institutional and cultural barriers to use reasonable options like birthing centers.Medical technology has done wonders for our lives, especially in select, high-risk cases. But rising maternity care costs reflects the downside of our societal obsession with newer, bigger and shinier technology.

Read the full article here.

Kavanah Doula Room Sprays

 Last night I blended 100% pure essential oils with distilled water to create two, individualized scents for a friend and expectant Mama in Maryland. This Mama wanted Kavanah, the lavender-based scent and Pick Me Up which is citrus-based.

 I pulled out our old type writer to make the labels. I like the old-fashioned feel of a typed letter. I'll be honest-it took a lot of playing around to get the labels to line up perfectly, which I sort of liked. Like making these blends, recipes I borrowed and slightly adapted from an essential oil workshop I took this spring, working the machine is all about intention, kavanah. I knew I was sending them out to a friend, a woman who would be giving birth for the first time, so I wanted to make sure that I stayed focused on the task, enjoyed myself and didn't dwell on the frustrations of an old and clunky machine.

Because I make each scent to order, and essential oils tend to change over time, I only used my recipes as a guide. I mixed and sprayed and mixed again until I was happy with the scent. I then went to our garden and plucked some fresh lavender and sage and tied it all together with kitchen string. I finished it all up with a little note of thanks and it's going to ship out tomorrow!

I currently have three scents for the birthing process; Kavanah, Pick Me Up and Root Down, but I'm working on two more this weekend. Using the workshop notes as a guide and an essential oil encyclopedia I hope to debut the two new room sprays in August.

Kavanah: The essential oils in this blend can allow focus and relaxation during labor. Ingredients: Distilled water, Lavendar, Clary Sage*, Cedarwood, Frankincense, Orange**
Pick Me Up: The essential oils in this blend can be invigorating and uplifting, great for a boost during labor. Ingredients: Distilled Water, Orange, Grapefruit***, Frankincense
Root Down: The essential oils in this are very grounding, thiscan be a great post-labor blend. Ingredients: Distilled Water, Clary Sage, Grapefruit, Cedarwood, Frankincense

*Clary sage is thought to help induce labor. For this reason, Kavanah should be used during active labor.
For non-pregnant women, Clary sage is thought to relieve pre-menstrual symptoms.
**& *** Caution should be taken with Citrus-based essential oils. When used liberally, avoid prolonged exposure to the sun

Please note that my essential oil sprays and massage oils are very diluted (100drops max to 2 oz water) and shouldn't cause problems when used, but please talk to your provider.

How Being a Midwife Made Me a Better Doctor-{Cross Post}

I think that sometimes, it's like birth workers are on one side or another: medical hospital birth with an OB vs. unmedicated birthing center or home birth with a midwife. Unfortunately, the lines are quite clear and when you "pick a side" you don't often get to switch-especially if you're in labor.

Of course, a mother who is at a home birth can transfer to a hospital, but I've not heard of a mother laboring in the hospital transferring to a home birth. There are, of course, some hospitals that think well of laboring mothers and have a good understanding of the birthing process. In these hospitals women are able to eat food, move around and birth in a way that is comfortable and natural. More often than not, though, women who birth in hospitals are offered (and sometimes not) interventions like pitocin or an epidural that can sometimes slow the natural rhythms of birth.

I don't believe that these doctors are purposefully trying to interfere with the natural process of birth (which does take some time!), I think there are a lot of factors contributing to the rise of interventions and subsequent unscheduled c-sections and they're not to do with the mother, in my opinion.

Doctors and hospitals are over booked and L&D rooms are a hot commodity. When you've got a large city with a lot of women in labor, there simply isn't time to let a mother labor for 24, 36 or 48 hours. Another factor is that some doctors have never experienced an un-medicated natural birth. This is something that Ina May Gaskin talks about in her books and lectures a lot and was a snip-it in the documentary The Business of Being Born.

In my opinion medical schools and the training are the culprit. Imagine of all medical students did what Dr.Aviv Romm did? What if all OBs trained as midwives? Can you imagine how differently birth would look in our country?

I have many professional titles and roles: physician, midwife, herbalist, author, teacher. Of these, being a midwife most informs and enhances all of what I do and who I am.

Midwife literally means “with woman.” But it also means, “to bring forth.” Midwives listen, coach, cheerlead, care, reassure, support, and speak truth. At my best, I am a midwife in all contexts – not just to the women I serve, but to my partner, my children, my friends, my patients. At my best I bring forth their best – their strength, confidence, and belief that they can do it. And as a midwife I am able to be patient about whether this happens quietly or with loud screaming! At my best I am deeply present and listen closely to what the people in my life are telling me. And I listen to the unsaid, as well.

When I graduated from medical school at Yale I was given an award as the most promising primary care physician in my state for that year. This was not a result of what I learned during my medical education. Being a midwife for 20 plus years prior to medical training imbued in me the art of caring that should accompany doctoring but too often doesn’t. As a physician I care for my patients with the compassion, deep presence, and heart of a midwife, whether they are giving birth or being treated for pneumonia, whether they are trying to nurse their newborn for the first time, or have suffered a stroke, leukemia, or are in their last days of their life. And because the demonstration of presence and compassion is more rare than common amongst physicians, it was noticed.

It is my understanding and internalization of the midwifery model of care, which places a partnership model and a patient-centered model first and which treats the body as wise and self-healing rather than as a machine that requires repair that makes me the physician I am. It is being a midwife that informs the care in the health care I provide to all of my patients. And it is this true caring that inspires me to do what it best for my patients, and to truly know who they are as people, not diseases.

I not only midwife my patients, but their families at their hospital bedsides and in clinic rooms. I care just as I would for an anxious expectant father or other children at a birth. I bring the whole family in.

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Shipment Arrived!

Today I received 12- 4oz amber bottles from Amazon! I'm so excited to start making some massage oils!