I honor my changing body...

© madaise

Pregnancy is a time of seemingly never ending changes. Your breasts change size and shape... your belly expands and makes room for your growing belly. You look and feel different. Honor those changes...

Take a picture every week, in the same place and position. Make a silhouette picture every month of your ever changing baby belly and breasts. Henna your belly. Paint your belly. Show off your decorated belly off now that it's getting warmer. Wear clothes that emphasize your changing shape.

And make a belly cast - a three-dimensional mask that you can decorate or leave plain. This is my very favorite memento of pregnancy... they're perfect for actually being able to see and feel and remember where your gorgeous baby lived before he or she was born. You can do just your belly - sometimes called a belly bowl, your belly and breasts or even one with your arms cradled around your tummy in a permanent hug. Kits are available online and in local pregnancy shops or you can just visit a medical supply shop for fast drying plaster gauze. Messy and fun and well worth the time.

Whatever you do to honor your changing shape, remember it is all for the beautiful babe inside you and the mother you are becoming. Honor the changes... all of them! How did you or how will you honor the changes?

Herbal Baby Bath

© threelittlecupcakes

Taking an herbal bath together is a wonderful way to bond with your baby. And it's really quite easy and quick to make. You'll need herbs of your choice, a little muslin bag or a long clean sock, and about five minutes of prep time before you run the bath.

Choose dried, fragrant organic herbs from your garden or local herb store. Some mild baby-friendly herbs include chamomile, lemon balm, calendula, rose petals, lavender, spearmint and peppermint. You can add a bit of oatmeal to soften the water and your skin if you like.

Mix the herbs together in a bowl, the oatmeal if using, and then scoop about two tablespoons of the mixture into the bag or sock. Tie a knot in the sock or bag - unless you would like the herbs floating in the bath (which is pretty to look at, but kind of annoying to clean). Tuck the extra herbs into a container to use next time.

Run a warm, but not hot bath, and soak the bag of herbs in the water. Squeeze a few times to release the fragrance. Get in the bath and relax with your baby. Take extra care if you use the oatmeal - it makes the bath and the baby a tad slippery!

Enjoy your bath together...

My milk is so much more than food...

© archangeldeb

I have faith of the heart, strength of the soul & can reach any star...

Only moments old...

Eight years ago at this exact time, I gave birth my to my gorgeous baby girl...

My labor began late at night, or rather, early in the morning just around one. The birth pangs pulled gently at first and I remember thinking... I remember this now.

I simply allowed the early rushes to run through me, and let them run their course. This was my last time to be totally alone with my baby... to have her to myself. I sat and rocked with her still deep in my belly in the near dark. Quietly alone.

As my labor began to change, I began humming my birth mantra. Bits from a song from a television show. Star Trek: Enterprise to be exact. A song widely considered to be incredibly cheesy. But no matter, the lyrics simply worked for me and thus I claimed them as my own...

It's been a long road
getting from here to there
It's been a long time,
but my time is finally here
And I can feel the change in the wind right now
Nothing's in my way
And they're not gonna hold me down no more
No, they're not gonna hold me down...

'Cause I've got faith of the heart
I'm going where my heart will take me
I've got faith to believe
I can do anything...
I have strength of the soul,
No one's gonna bend or break me
I can reach any star
I've got faith...
I've got faith, faith of the heart...

All through my labor I sang this silently to myself. I toned. I moved. I stayed still. I did exactly what my body needed to do to birth my daughter. I pushed her out, gathered her up in my arms with the help of my midwife and husband and pulled her up to my chest.

Warm.
Sticky.
Wet.
Perfect...

I sat in my birth bubble and noticed nothing outside of it. I discovered for myself that she was a girl by uncovering her and admiring her lovely, sweet little body. We cuddled for what seemed like hours and I felt the natural high that only natural childbirth feels like. I was a birthing goddess and birthed my daughter in the dawn of the day. As I held her in my arms for the first time, snow fell silently outside. It was a perfect moment, frozen in time and etched forever into my memory.

Now that nine and a half pound baby is eight years old. While sometimes I miss the baby and wonder where she went, I remind myself to enjoy this stage of motherhood. She's artistic and self-assured. She corrects me every time she has the chance. She loves to practice hand-writing and loves to read. She loves her Beaver Colony and sings in the choir. She wants to do everything. And I couldn't be more proud of her.

My husband gave me two silver rings made by Delias Thompson last year. One reads: faith of the heart and the other: strength of the soul. They have been my mantra everyday for eight years. For Mother's Day, I think I will gift myself with a third: I can reach any star...

Happy Birth Day my sweet girl!

Tell me about your birth song,

New Moon on Monday...

© wanderingnome

Today is the beginning of the new moon and technically it means that the moon - in its monthly orbit - is between the earth and the sun and therefore is not visible to us. The few days before are known as the dark moon.

If we ovulate during the full moon, then we bleed during the new moon. It is a time to renew energy and interests, new beginnings, a time to plant seeds for your intentions, your dreams and desires for the next 28 days.

So, today take some time today and think about what you would like to manifest. Write it down and give it power. Maybe light a candle and meditate for a few minutes on your goals, whatever they might be. Write your own affirmation using an "I" statement, and say it out loud. Everyday.

Whatever you dream and believe, you can conceive. An idea, a goal, a dream, or even a child. Work with your affirmation over the next two weeks and see what happens. Feel free to share your affirmations, goals and thoughts here...

New moon blessings,

Garlic Lemonade

Pregnant and feel a cold coming on? Then try this remedy as suggested by Aviva Jill Romm in her excellent The Natural Pregnancy Book: Herbs, Nutrition and Other Holistic Choices. I highly recommend this book for all pregnant women who are looking for a natural, holistic approach to their pregnancy.

Garlic steeping in recycled jar.

Garlic Lemonade by Aviva Jill Romm

Steep 4 to 6 cloves of chopped raw garlic in 1 quart boiling water (cover the jar while you steep) for 30 minutes. Then add the juice of 1 or 2 lemons and honey or maple syrup to taste. Drink warm, up to 1 cup every two hours. If you don't find this tea palatable, try steeping the garlic as above, but add a couple of bouillon cubes or 1 tablespoon of miso to the tea instead of lemon and honey. This is a warming tea if you have chills but can be used at any time of year.

I have made this wonderful tea for years, both when pregnant and not. I make it every time someone in my family is coming down with a cold, and this year, even my picky four-year old will drink it and they all believe it makes them feel better, although the two younger ones still prefer theirs cold. I've just made it again this afternoon, as another cold hits our house. Me, yet again. Sigh...

Wellness blessings,

Sneak Peak Saturday...

Look what I found in my little nest in the window... beautifully-carved gemstone goddesses in lots of shapes & colors. Some with pregnant bellies, some with ample breasts for nursing wee ones, some with detailed nipples and all with cute little bums!

Look for them in my new Etsy shop starting on Monday, March 22nd. Which one is calling to you?

Fertile blessings,