Birth Matters NW

08/09/2023

In a world that's all too ready to judge us based on our looks, let's pause, take a deep breath, and acknowledge the truth: our bodies, in all their fabulous forms and sizes, are bursting with boundless possibilities.

People of all shapes and sizes welcome new life into this world and achieve healthy outcomes every day.

So, let's keep our spirits high, focus on the positive, and celebrate the amazing powerhouse that our bodies are! 💪

06/04/2023

Took a lovely trip up to see the new midwife Angie Eventide Hotz of Mothership Midwifery at Mount Vernon Birth Center and check out the gorgeous space she has created!

05/10/2023

05/02/2023

The Mamalogues are BACK!!! If you have not yet experienced this delightful event, mark your calendars and get your tickets NOW!
May 12 & 13th 7-9pm
After a three-year hiatus due to the pandemic, we're back with new content and laughs for anyone who is, knows, or has a mom!

The show features local talent performing readings from writer moms including Britta Bushnell, PhD, and original content! There will also be poetry and song, woven together to create an evening of hilarity honoring mothers and motherhood. The event is open to the entire community ages 13 and up, and babies in arms are welcome.
Tickets at: https://www.themamalogues.org/
All proceeds to benefit Open Arms Perinatal Services and WestSide Baby

04/06/2023

Doula on vacation!
Time away and time away with family are a HUGE part of sustainability. Knowing your partners have your back and that everything at whole is ‘covered’ = priceless!

03/19/2023

LOVE this

03/16/2023

It’s
Here supporting some AMAZING humans as they represent better healthcare and access for birthing families across the state!
What are the asks this year? Budget reallocation related to supply and facility fee reimbursement. The Washington rate trails our neighbor Oregon by $3200! This reallocation/increase qualifies for a 1.5 million federal match and IMPROVES sustainability for the states 23 freestanding birth centers!

01/03/2023

How cool!

A fabric womb made by Angélique du Coudray, a French midwife who was commissioned by King Louis XV to reduce infant mortality. From 1760 to 1783, she traveled all over France, visiting poor rural women and sharing her extensive knowledge with them. It is estimated that she trained some 10,000 women.
Du Coudray also invented the first lifesize obstetrical mannequin, for practicing mock births, and published a well-received midwifery textbook

Support:
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/artifactsmuseum

https://www.facebook.com/becomesupporter/museum.of.artifacts/

11/01/2022

Ok… so this is a leeetle behind 🙄
But welcome little ones!
I continue to be delighted and overwhelmed with gratitude when supporting families as they grow. These little mentions don’t even begin to touch on the joy, love, and sheer beauty that I observed with each of these dear families. Families are made in so many ways, but watching that moment… it always takes my breath away.
❤️❤️❤️

11/01/2022

Fall babies and fall colors!!!
The turning of the leaves and *that* particular blue of an autumn sky have long been hallmarks of my favorite season. How delightful to combine to of my favorite things today! ;)

10/02/2022

SO IMPORTANT for new families ♥️ (who am I kidding… this is great all around advice for everyone, with or without kids).

09/27/2022

These two kiddos made their respective appearances with quite a fanfare for each of the families! So incredible to watch new families be born and hearts expand. ♥️♥️♥️

08/17/2022

Yea, this needed to happen tonight. Next stop… bed.

08/15/2022

What a day! This sweet darling’s parent labored like a Boss! It fills my heart to watch that moment of amazement/accomplishment/pride/overwhelming awe and joy flash across a person’s face when they see their tiny human for the first time. I witnessed so much love and strength in this room, it was a true honor to hold space beside you and remind you that YOU DO HARD THINGS. Also (favorite moment/truncated quote: “cookies ARE push presents!” Lol)
All the joy and love to your newly expanded family going forward! ♥️♥️♥️

08/15/2022

No, it wasn’t twins (but these two both decided to make their grand entrance within hours of one another)! A little overdue (haha!) on this, but here it is!
If going through pregnancy and labor/birth (however it may happen) didn’t teach you to be flexible; these two sure reinforced the lesson with their parents. Two beautiful families and their hearts were grown larger that day.

08/09/2022

Make Indigenous Milk Medicine Accessible❗️
Make Indigenous Milk Medicine Accessible❗️
Make Indigenous Milk Medicine Accesible❗️

It should be standard for every Tribal Nation to have an accessible milk bank on their territory. For people like myself who had a successful breastfeeding journey and an unsuccessful one, but still wanted to offer the first sacred food to their baby. For other people who have other difficulties, but still want to offer the first sacred food to their baby.
It should be standard for every Tribal Nation to have access to lactation professionals that have/follow Indigenous-based teachings and practices.
It should be standard for every Tribal Nation to have ways/outlets/people to feed birthing people their traditional foods to support each stage of birthing [pregnancy, birth&labor, postpartum, lactation]. This could be done in multiple ways: gardens, hoophouses, foraging, hunting, fishing.

I’m only speaking from experience in my own community 🙋🏽‍♀️ I’m sure there are other communities who have at least one or all of the above.

I want to remind you that pre-colonization it in fact took a village to raise our children. In many [indigenous] Nations, the aunties nursed babies besides their own.
What we call ‘wet-nursing’ today, was a practice that took place in various different countries and cultures globally pre-colonization.
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08/03/2022

Graphic Credit: .therapist

07/31/2022

via Breastfeed LA: The Breastfeeding Task Force of Greater Los Angeles
Let's normalize breastfeeding in public.

Let's normalize breastfeeding in public.

07/30/2022

Work life balance! I have spent the majority of my doula life in a partnership, to put aside time to do things like this. Today was a good reminder that these moments have to be grabbed and taken regardless of what else is going on if possible. And… I had a fantastic heart talk with my youngest while floating for a few hours. So much joy just taking a few deep breaths and being in the moment.

07/27/2022

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Harness Strap Positioning Guide

Getting the correct harness strap positioning is important so that your car seat can do its job to protect your child!

Rear facing children must always have their harness straps coming out of the car seat shell at or slightly below their shoulders. The straps shouldn't be halfway down their back - if that's the case, you should probably try moving the straps up to the next harness slot! But the straps should never be coming out of a slot that is above their shoulders. When you trace the webbing, it should go straight back from their shoulders or slightly down - like a backpack strap. This helps keeps the child down in their seat in the event of a crash.

Forward facing children must always have their harness straps coming out of the car seat shell at or slightly above their shoulders. The straps shouldn't be much higher than their shoulders - if that's the case, you should try moving the straps down to the next slot lower. When you trace the webbing it should go straight back from their shoulders or slightly up. If the straps are below their shoulders, this could cause spinal compression in the event of a crash.

Check your child's harness strap height regularly. Kiddos can grow inches overnight! It's an easy thing to check when your fingers are already at their shoulders doing the pinch test to check for harness tightness.

Next time you harness your child, trace the webbing back from their shoulders to the car seat shell. Is it at the correct height for their car seat stage?

07/23/2022

This was shared by a dear friend and amazing colleague (Katie Rohs):

Here is a pretty cool shared decision making tool when it comes to induction at 39wks vs. waiting for labor. I read about this in Emily Oster's newsletter, and she included this text from the developer of the tool, a Doctor of Public Health:

"Each year, about 600,000 people in the U.S. have an induction of labor without a medical indication. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American College of Nurse-Midwives, and researchers on all sides of this issue all agree that shared decision-making should be used when counseling pregnant people on this topic. That means they think pregnant people should be informed of their options and the evidence and then they should ultimately decide how their labor starts. But right now, that’s not how many people experience it.

So for my DrPH dissertation project, I tried to make shared decision-making happen on this topic. I formed a core group of providers (an OB, a family medicine physician, and two midwives), and we created an initial prototype of a shared decision-making tool and process. We recruited a larger group of providers (OBs, midwives, and nurse practitioners) to test the tool and process in three languages because we wanted to solve for inequities in who gets to experience shared decision-making. Once the tool was in use, I interviewed a very diverse group of pregnant people who experienced it to get feedback on the tool and assess whether or not shared decision-making was happening. After we had some clear improvement themes from the interviews, we revised the tool and tested the next version.

We did this three times — until we were making very minor changes to it and were hearing consistently positive experiences using the tool. I also talked to providers during each testing cycle. Many of the pregnant people I interviewed described using the tool as “awesome” and “empowering,” and providers said it improved the quality of their care and reduced bias. Our study team is working to publish our process and results in a peer-reviewed journal, but in the meantime, I know a tool on this topic has been called for by many, so we wanted to share it: www.inductiondecisionaid.org"

Our first patient decision aidYour choice: spontaneous labor or labor induction?A decision aid for people with healthy pregnancies at or beyond 39 weeks and no medical reason for labor induction (currently offered in English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole) English Español (Spanish) Kreyòl ayisyen (H...

07/06/2022

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12 experiences you must have with your partner before having a baby.

Inspired by

06/28/2022

Who HASN’T sat waiting in those last weeks waiting for SOMETHING to get going, ready to pull their hair out? This family met every day with grace and a sense of humor. And every single second paid off! Totally floored with their strength, love, and absolute joy meeting this little one. Thanks y’all!

06/26/2022

From The Breastfeeding Dietitian

We absolutely love this visual by The Breastfeeding Dietitian 🙌⁠
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Most babies feed like the blueberries. Some big feeds and some small feeds. Some feeds close together and others spaced further apart. And then there's 'cluster feeding' – where your baby feeds very frequently (or almost continuously!) over a period of a few hours.⁠
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A rigid breastfeeding schedule can compromise a healthy milk supply. By offering the b**b whenever your baby 'asks' for it, you'll be stimulating your breasts to make more milk because breast milk production works on a ‘supply and demand’ basis – the more milk you remove, the more your body is signalled to make.⁠
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So watch your baby, not the clock and feed according to your baby's hunger cues. This way you'll support a healthy milk supply that's attuned to your baby’s needs.⁠

shared via Boobie Bikkies

🍂🍁 For support in your gentle parenting journey, pick up a copy of our gorgeous autumn issue which is out now!. Grab your copy from supermarkets throughout NZ and newsagents throughout Australia! To find your local stockist, or to subscribe, visit https://linktr.ee/TheNaturalParentMagazine
🍂🍁

06/25/2022

Today has been SO hard. And I know I am not alone in that. I almost NEVER use my business platform for personal beliefs, but today’s decision moves reproductive rights backwards and affects not only those birthing, but the future decisions and reproductive rights/choices of those to come.
If you did not know, I also support those who are experiencing a spontaneous or elective abortion. Those who have chosen adoption, surrogacy, or are experiencing a fetal demise.
Human rights should be synonymous with compassion, kindness, and zero judgement.

06/23/2022

No you aren’t seeing double/no it wasn’t twins. But YES! Both of these little ones seemed to get an itch to arrive just 17 hrs apart. After calling 2 min apart to announce the start of labor signs. Lol And did I mention their parents ROCKED their births? They totally did!!!

06/16/2022

Partner’s are affected too.
・・•
Posted • It's the week of Father's Day! Did you know dads can be impacted by perinatal depression too? The signs are a bit different than in moms and birthing parents, so make sure you know them:
🔷 Frustration or irritability
🔷 Feeling discouraged
🔷 Increased physical problems, such as headaches or indigestion
🔷 Problems concentrating
🔷 Increased fatigue
🔷 Lack of motivation
🔷 Loss of interest in hobbies or work
🔷 Self-isolation
🔷 Working constantly
🔷 Increased anger
🔷 Increased use of alcohol or illegal drugs, misuse of prescription medication
🔷 Violent behavior
🔷 Impulsiveness
🔷 Thoughts of self-harm or su***de

Parenting is hard. You don't have to do this alone - PSI is here to help.

📲 Call or text the HelpLine at 800-944-4773. You never need a diagnosis to ask for help.
💻 Join one of PSI's online support groups, including one for dads, at http://bit.ly/FindSupportGroup
🤝 Message us to learn about support groups!

06/16/2022

Hello strawberry Moon baby! Your parents were drop jaw amazing. And the joy in their faces when they met you brought tears to my eyes. Empowered, informed, strong.

👩🏻‍🍼♥️

06/15/2022

Full of so much joy and admiration for this INCREDIBLE family to meet their little one. Watching them advocate for an experience filled with compassion and joy was awe inspiring. Best wishes for all of the adventures ahead of you!

06/02/2022

So excited to share this:
The Jack & Jill Spring & Summer 2022 Consignment Sale is this week!! They will have:
📌 Clothing and shoes for spring & summer
📌 Outdoor toys
📌 Baby gear for your little one
📌 Books, toys, games, educational items
📌 And, so much more!

Public shopping hours:
⏰ Thursday 1-7pm (get in early with a donation to our diaper drive benefiting WestSide Baby)
⏰ Friday 9am-7pm
⏰ Saturday 9am-4pm
⏰ Sunday 9am-2pm Half Price Tag Sale

Location: Lynnwood Convention Center

You can also check out some awesome other vendors including , the amazing midwives at .birthcenter, and !!!