Placentophagy

The last two days have been an amazing time of learning and experiencing hands on the process of Placenta Medicine. Midwife Jessica took the time to teach Kate and I the in and outs of the process, from evaluating and learning from the placenta to the actual Encapsulation itself.

The story begins with a healthy placenta and ends in priceless medicine to aid in the early days after childbirth. First the placenta is separated from the membrane and placed into a strainer than covered in Fresh Ginger and Lemon.

The strainer is than placed in a pot with a few inches of water on the stove to steam, where we than add Chi Tea to the placenta. It steams for 20 min and is taken off to cut into slices and prepped for dehydration. It is than placed in the oven for 8-10 hours on low heat to dry out. after dry and cooled the placenta is broken into smaller parts and ground into powder. The powder is than placed into small capsules and is ready for consumption.

The process was very easy and fun to learn, I am excited to use this knowledge to provide this service to women and educate others about the benefits of Placentophagy.

CLOTH DIAPERS

I love the look and feel of cloth diapers on a little new born baby. There is something so right about having that soft cotton feel on your itty bitty babies bum. When you hear the words "cloth diapers" most minds go directly to Grandma using the good old prefolds and pins, But Cloth is not what it used to be. They can be as fashionable as a Gucci bag or as plain as a prefold. Cloth can save you money, Unwanted diaper rashes and blowouts, and a cleaner future for your kids.

"Disposables. For these calculations, let's assume that a family needs about 60 diapers a week. In the San Francisco Bay area, disposable diapers cost roughly 23¢ per store-brand diaper and 28¢ for name-brand. This averages to 25.5¢ per diaper. Thus the average child will cost about $1,600 to diaper for two years in disposable diapers, or about $66 a month."

"No one knows how long it takes for a disposable diaper to decompose, but it is estimated to be about 250-500 years, long after your children, grandchildren and great, great, great grandchildren will be gone."
http://www.realdiaperassociation.org/diaperfacts.php

Cloth can be easy, with All in One (no cover needed) diapers and a sprayer hooked to the back of your toilet for easy rinsing. Changing and washing can be convenient and even enjoyable, after all these diapers are much cuter than the your paper Pampers.

But where do you find these cute diapers diapers? My favorite place to browse for cute cloth is Hyenacart.com They have a great variety of shops where moms just like you and I work hard to stay home with there little ones.

There is a large variety of different kinds of cloth diapers to choose from. IF you have never given cloth much thought why not take the time to investigate this healthier and much cuter option for your little one.

some links with great info and shopping are below:
http://www.clothplanet.com/index.html

http://www.realdiaperassociation.org/diaperfacts.php

http://hyenacart.com/

Placenta Encapsulation... Share your thoughts, experience, knowedge.....

Placenta Encapsulation

The placenta aids in the recovery from childbirth, restoring lost hormones, augmenting lactation, shortening bleeding time, preventing mood jags, and ultimately helping your child in this vital time of bonding and nurturance.

Taking the placenta as a powder is an ancient custom. Remedies of placenta powder have been well-known for centuries. As a source of rich nutrients, the placenta was considered a gift from the baby by many cultures. Across the globe, the placenta has been used medicinally throughout history as a hormone replacement therapy. The placenta is full of natural oxytocin which are responsible for contracting the uterus, returning it to its original size, and minimizing postpartum bleeding. It is also attributed to preventing postpartum depression and enhancing the mother’s milk supply. Placenta remedies contain both estrogen and progesterone in their biological concentration produced by the mothers body itself. In essence you are re-consuming your own lost hormones to heal and strengthen your own body.

The encapsulation process involves preparing the placenta, steaming, dehydrating, grinding, and then encapsulating it. Once the baby is born, place the placenta in the fridge contact me as within the first 2-3 days after the birth. It is best to encapsulate while the placenta is fresh.

Joys of Nursing

Being a Mom of two under two can be very challenging at times. From changing diapers to cleaning banana out of the carpet, all while trying to get dinner on the table by 5 and keep up on the Laundry. There is little time to stop and take time for your self.

There seems to be only brief moments when the world comes to a halt and nothing else seems to matter. It happens a few times throughout the day as you are cleaning, cooking, or chasing your toddler. It even sometimes happens while you are running your errands. You hear a coo, or a fuss and nothing else in the world matters everything stops and its just you and your baby.

Her sweet little lips rooting for the warmth and comfort of the breast, pure satisfaction comes across her little face as she latches on. Her eyes meet yours and your heart swells with love. There is nothing more rewarding.

I have found from the first moment I held my children in my arms I knew I had to provide what was best for them. There is nothing more pure more wonderful and more loving than Breastfeeding your baby. Knowing that my body is capable of fulfilling all the needs of my infant is truly satisfying.