Wise Birth Radio

Honestly, this is the kind of episode you can't write a description for. Our beautiful friend Ixchel Prisma talked with us today about the depths and beauty of her second trimester loss with her spirit baby, River Nova.This story goes back at least a decade to her initial connection with a baby spirit. Ixchel has spun lead into gold, experiencing death and grief in pregnancy as a profound portal to herself. To her own growth and connection to spirit. And to a greater understanding of the workings of spirit baby connection and soul contracts.--------------------------You can find Ixchel -  Her beautiful song - Birthing SpiralAll of her music on BandcampAnd SpotifyAnd her beautiful floral earrings!------------------------Thanks for listening!If you’re enjoying our show, please leave us a rating and review!If you have anything you want to hear more about, or any questions you'd like us to address, please reach out at [email protected]. We welcome your feedback.  Follow us on Instagram @catskillsbirtheducation for more musings and information on wholistic pregnancy, physiological birth, and intuitive motherhood. Check out our online, comprehensive birth education course Wise Woman, Sacred Birth to go deeper into self responsibility, trust and connection with your inner self, and knowledge and wisdom of the biological truths of the childbearing year, and connection with other beautiful mamas. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When asked about their postpartum plan, so many women say "Well, my husband is taking 3 weeks off work...". While thats great (although we'd be more into all fathers being given paid paternity leave for at least a month), that alone should not be your postpartum support in an ideal situation.We talk about:How we envision the ideal postpartum time to look and feelHow sinking into this design can allow the blessing of a different time perception and brain wave state to come aboard. A delicious, relaxed, healing, state.Postpartum is designed to be slow - we need to have enough support to hold the energy of slowPartner needs slow as well! Mother can't fully relax if everyone around her is running around and feeling hectic.Fathers need also need time to integrate as well! This is a huge transition for the whole family.Father's can’t be doing constantly and expect to also have space to feel The theory of everyone in the postpartum time needing two layers of supportCreating healthy fatherhood begins with the birth of the father!It's often more difficult, but extremely important for men to practice dropping from a space of doing to a space of beingSometimes new fathers experience a crash as way of slowing down. We need postpartum support to allow them to stay present.Your next tangible steps spelled out to creating sacred space for both parents postpartum--------------------------Mentioned in the show: Our Postpartum Planning GuideRachelle Garcia Seliga of Innate TraditionsBirthfit postpartum programWise Woman, Sacred BirthA few of our relevant previous episodes:Manifesting Your Ideal Postpartum TimeYour Motherhood is For You - with NicoleThe Vital Energies of Receiving in the Postpartum Time--------------------------Thanks for listening!If you’re enjoying our show, please leave us a rating and review!If you have anything you want to hear more about, or any questions you'd like us to address, please reach out at [email protected]. We welcome your feedback.  Follow us on Instagram @catskillsbirtheducation for more musings and information on wholistic pregnancy, physiological birth, and intuitive motherhood. Check out our online, comprehensive birth education course Wise Woman, Sacred Birth to go deeper into self responsibility, trust and connection with your inner self, and knowledge and wisdom of the biological truths of the childbearing year, and connection with other beautiful mamas. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Postpartum care provider and educator, mother to 4, this postpartum was probably perfect, right? Beautifully, postpartum is an ever deepening, ever challenging, ever incredible spiral into yourself. With the opportunity for new lessons, new messages, and new challenges each time. Sara and I had a lovely walk and talk about her fourth postpartum after the birth of her son, Akiva.We talk about:She hosted her first nesting party at 36-ish weeks pregnant. (Highly recommend.)Boundary medicine in postpartum time!Yes, everyone wants to see the baby, but it’s so important for you to protect your energetic bubble.You are so sensitive and so vulnerable in this time, so while you need so much support and love and care, you also need to be discerning with who is in your space.How her husband, Z, and her three kids mentally prepared themselves for her to be resting and less available for many weeks.Sara’s top baby gear recommendation (vacuum snot sucker)Her baby, Akiva, made milk (curse of the midwife?)Sara’s relationship with her own body! This is so strongly passed down the matrilineal paths, often in a not so helpful way. Sara opens up about her own relationship with her body and body image, and how she is choosing to teach her kids to relate.Sara’s early menstrual cycle returnAnd what she’s been doing starting at a few days, postpartum to care for her body, heal, and feel strong.How we can have an understanding of the ideals, while also flowing with the realities of life.--------------------------Mentioned in the show: Our Postpartum Planning GuideNicole's incredible offering - rootedOur podcast episode with Adrian DimatteoRestore Your Core - postpartum movement ------------------------Thanks for listening!If you’re enjoying our show, please leave us a rating and review!If you have anything you want to hear more about, or any questions you'd like us to address, please reach out at [email protected]. We welcome your feedback.  Follow us on Instagram @catskillsbirth for more musings and information on wholistic pregnancy, physiological birth, and intuitive motherhood. Check out our online, comprehensive birth education course Wise Woman, Sacred Birth to go deeper into self responsibility, trust and connection with your inner self, and knowledge and wisdom of the biological truths of the childbearing year, and connection with other beautiful mamas. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Agreements:- I am not obligated to do dishes- I will avoid lifting heavy things- I will be mindful of eye contact, and utilize tools of energetic protection- I will avoid heated discussion - most things that I think NEED TO BE TALKED ABOUT RIGHT NOW actually don't...- I give myself full permission to not cook if I don't feel like it- I will keep my body, especially my feet, head, and womb, warm and out of the wind. I also talk about:-How I've begun very organically scheduling my life around my cycle. I don't think it would have made sense if I had just started off with a calendar or a plan because someone else told me to do it...-How I'm feeling these energies of outer and inner spring. The challenges for an Aries and the beauty of it-I finally understand what drawing a line in the sand is actually supposed to mean! But does it really make sense?-The concept of creating an energetic red tent for myself- Exploring the idea of marking the end of bleeding like a mikvah from the Jewish tradition --------------------------Mentioned in the show: Fertility Friday podcastMy favorite Indie Birth sweatshirtMy favorite fiction - Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer BradleyOur curated fertility/cycling book list------------------------ Thanks for listening!If you’re enjoying our show, please leave us a rating and review!If you have anything you want to hear more about, or any questions you'd like us to address, please reach out at [email protected]. We welcome your feedback.  Follow us on Instagram @catskillsbirthcollective for more musings and information on wholistic pregnancy, physiological birth, and intuitive motherhood. Check out our online, comprehensive birth education course Wise Woman, Sacred Birth to go deeper into self responsibility, trust and connection with your inner self, and knowledge and wisdom of the biological truths of the childbearing year, and connection with other beautiful mamas. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What if SOUND HEALING (insert feathers and crystal bowls here) didn't have to be a big complicated thing, but was actually woven into your every day life? What if you could be constantly working with frequency and vibration as tools for health and balancing in your body, mind, and spirit?Oh wait, YOU ALREADY DO!I loved our talk with Adrian DiMatteo; musician, author, sound healer, and genuine, down to earth, hilarious, and insightful human. We explore some of the ways sound shows up in our every day lives, especially as pregnant women and mothers, and how we can very simply tap into that as a source of connection and healing.This is so relevant to birth, and I am excited to see where this exploration leads us in the future. We talk about: - Utilizing sound as neurolinguistic programming - this doesn't have to be complicated, start by using different words to describe your experiences- The different levels of sound//thoughts moving through the mind into the body and the spirit- How music, mantras, movement, dance, rhythm, are all expression of sound - "Sound Healing" isn't this isolated event that happens only on the full moon in a yoga studio.- How we can utilize this in pregnancy and birth, to overcome fear and re-program our belief systems- “Sonic massage” - how we can intuitively use our body's vibration for healing for our families- Applying musicality and mantra healing to the rhythm of everyday life. Vibration, frequency, rhythm isn’t something we practice outside of motherhood/pregnancy, it is inherent in our bodies and ready to be activated at any moment- Vibration and the vagus nerve! Carrying vibration, movement, and allowing more oxygen to the cells for healing and pain relief. (SO RELEVANT FOR BIRTH!)- How the natural sounds of the body are essential in releasing emotions, like a dog shaking off the day, we can allow our sighs, yawns, and stretches to reset our systems.- How we could utilize our understanding of frequencies and the human body to curate your birth environment for this sacred ceremony - I'd love to see Adrian and Nikko Kennedy (from episode #33) to design a labor and delivery unit and NICU!- The future of birth support - sound healing? Bringing frequency medicine into the birth space doesn’t have to mean you bring your guitar and know a thousand mantras. It’s the vibration of being calm, present, and in your heart, regardless of what you are saying or not saying.- “Silence is the mother of sound”- Approaching ultrasound technology from the highest possible frequency- Integrating sound healing in the simplest ways - this is so accessible and so simple! --------------------------Mentioned in the show: Adrian's new book - Elements of Sound: A Full-Spectrum Exploration of Sound and Consciousness His organization, Sonic Institute Sound Healer Trainings - (I'm going to do it one of these days!) And his music - While You Are Awake is the background music for this episode and the perfect addition to a birth playlist!------------------------ Thanks for listening!If you’re enjoying our show, please leave us a rating and review!If you have anything you want to hear more about, or any questions you'd like us to address, please reach out at [email protected]. We welcome your feedback. Follow us on Instagram @catskillsbirthcollective for more musings and information on wholistic pregnancy, physiological birth, and intuitive motherhood. Check out our online, comprehensive birth education course Wise Woman, Sacred Birth to go deeper into self responsibility, trust and connection with your inner self, and knowledge and wisdom of the biological truths of the childbearing year, and connection with other beautiful mamas. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With all of the birthy support roles I am currently holding, it may be a surprise that I am not, and have no intention of being a birth doula. But once, long long ago (or at least that's how it feels!), I was! I thought that being a birth doula was path through which I wanted to serve women... at least until I started doing it. I talk about how:- The sister wound has made it's presence known in my business aspirations. I couldn't really serve women in this way if I din't really even want to be friends with them!- I balled my eyes out after the first 3 birth I went to - but convinced myself it was from the joy and beauty of birth-Something deep down inside me knew - with no instruction, example, or experience that what I was witnessing wasn't really birth as some part of my ancestral being knew it to be. It was a gross manipulation/mutilation that we're all supposed to applaud and whisper about 'the miracle of childbirth'- My one home birth experience as a doula opened my eyes to a brief moment of feeling the true power of a birthing woman, then swiftly shifted to an uncomfortable understanding of my own, and our collective cultural orientation towards 'medical professions' as authority, and therefor all the ways in which we give up our power. -------------------------- Mentioned in the show: Indie Birth's Sacred Sisterhood Doula TrainingTaking Back Birth Episode - When Doulas Become Cogs in the Wheel of Medicalized Birth------------------------ Thanks for listening!If you’re enjoying our show, please leave us a rating and review!If you have anything you want to hear more about, or any questions you'd like us to address, please reach out at [email protected]. We welcome your feedback. Follow us on Instagram @catskillsbirthcollective for more musings and information on wholistic pregnancy, physiological birth, and intuitive motherhood. Check out our online, comprehensive birth education course Wise Woman, Sacred Birth to go deeper into self responsibility, trust and connection with your inner self, and knowledge and wisdom of the biological truths of the childbearing year, and connection with other beautiful mamas. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Out lovely friends Ashke and Ian join us today from the end of their sacred window to tell us the story of their son, Cedar's birth.It is such a joy to hear their story of conscious conception, Ashke's new adventure into studying birth education with Birthing From Within, how Ian's relationship with home birth interfaced with his job as an EMT (such a special crossover), culminating in a fast and healing birth. We talk about the difference between bypassing fear and choosing to face it head on, dealing with external expectations and pressure with humor and grace, and postpartum cooking as community building. It's been so beautiful to walk with Ashke as she enters the childbearing spiral, and grows into a beautiful mother. She has been one of the biggest champions of our work with Wise Woman, Sacred Birth, and we are so looking forward to what the future holds for their beautiful family. You can find Ashke's work with herbal medicines - Maka Pejutaand on Instagram-------------------------- Mentioned in the show: Our podcast episode with Ixchel and Jerry on their beautiful conscious conception processBirthing from WithinAshke was one of the first women with access to Wise Woman, Sacred Birth and gave us amazing feedback. ------------------------ Thanks for listening!If you’re enjoying our show, please leave us a rating and review!If you have anything you want to hear more about, or any questions you'd like us to address, please reach out at [email protected]. We welcome your feedback.  Follow us on Instagram @catskillsbirthcollective for more musings and information on wholistic pregnancy, physiological birth, and intuitive motherhood. Check out our online, comprehensive birth education course Wise Woman, Sacred Birth to go deeper into self responsibility, trust and connection with your inner self, and knowledge and wisdom of the biological truths of the childbearing year, and connection with other beautiful mamas. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Aiste Gazdar (and her husband Joel) are wellbeing pioneers, community magnetizers, conscious entrepreneurs and full spectrum alchemists leading a movement of transforming humanity’s relationship with nature, food, and ultimately, themselves. They are authors of the innovative plant based and wellbeing book “WILD: Plant Based Recipes & Rituals to Nourish your Wild Essence”. We talk with Aiste today about what it means to slow down, and step into self responsibility and deep connection and care for our bodies. This is WAY different than any "vegan pregnancy" advice you've ever heard. Aiste's work through her offering, Plant Empowered Woman is a transformative container and a personal and collective invitation to revolutionize the concept of a plant-empowered woman and mother, alchemising depletion into vibrancy in every cell of your being and every area of your life. We talk about minerals, developing relationships with wild plants, and inviting a sense of play, curiosity, and matriarchy into our kitchens.This is not about a diet, it's about the activation of your plant empowered life, deep nourishment and full spectrum thriving.You can find her upcoming cohort of Plant Empowered Woman (starting March 10th!) on their website, School of Paradise.You can connect with Aiste on Instagram - @aisteisis ------------------------Thanks for listening!If you’re enjoying our show, please leave us a review!If you have anything you want to hear more about, or any questions you'd like us to address, please reach out at [email protected]. We welcome your feedback. Follow us on Instagram @catskillsbirth for more musings and information on wholistic pregnancy, physiological birth, and intuitive motherhood. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We live in such a time based culture. We need numbers to validate everything. We need to "know" when babies are going to be born, when they need to nap, when we are allowed to eat our next meal. But what if this is all fake? Can we throw away the clock and just listen to the flow of our bodies? Lean in to the movements of the sun, of the seasons, of our baby's subtle (or not so subtle) communications.This reliance on clocks, dates, time, and numbers has such a profound impact on our birthing culture! When is your due date? How much does that matter? What is it calculated based on? How many weeks are you? How many hours does your baby sleep in a row? How often are you breastfeeding? I'd like to think that I pose more questions than I answer in this episode a I deconstruct time.Join me in my time free experiment I mention near the end! Let me know how it feels! ------------------------Thanks for listening!If you’re enjoying our show, please leave us a review!If you have anything you want to hear more about, or any questions you'd like us to address, please reach out at [email protected]. We welcome your feedback. Follow us on Instagram @catskillsbirth for more musings and information on wholistic pregnancy, physiological birth, and intuitive motherhood. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nikko Kennedy is a perinatal quantum biology practitioner and certified labor and postpartum doula. She has a B.S. in Biopsychology from the University of Oregon and is the creator of Brighter Days, Darker Nights, a Substack publication dedicated to promoting circadian rhythmicity and quantum wellness in pregnancy, birth, and postpartum.Nikko created a discount for you lovely listeners on her Substack subscription! Use this link for 15% off. You can find her on her website, or Instagram. You can hire Nikko for virtual and in-person doula services, 1-1 coaching, and online and in-person presentations and workshops. She is also a frequent podcast guest. You'll hear about:The cycles of life! ♬ We are all existing in cycles within cycles. Both the 24 hour, circadian rhythm and the 28 ish day infradian rhythm are present for women. Men exist in the circadian rhythm, but also have a 6o day cycle that is not often talked about.Optimizing your circadian rhythm for fertility (it can help prevent issues in pregnancy!)Our digestion is also controlled by circadian rhythm. This can affect how much of our nutrients we can actually use.A brief breakdown of negative ions - what the confusing jargon actually meansHow melatonin is a reproductive hormone! In pregnancy, a lack of it is implicated with pre eclampsia, growth restrictions, etc.There are even more potential melatonin disrupters in pregnancy (think bright bathroom lights multiple times a night, fridge light blasting during your midnight snack.)First trimester is a really important time to focus on sleep - this is when your placenta is being formed! Try to honor your sleep needs (even if it seems excessive..)All these principles align with traditional care - to nurture cells at level of mitochondria. (Makes sense that as we were more connected with the earth, we instinctively knew what we needed to feel good!)We are wired in connection to the sun and the earth - earth has an electrical charge that our bodies are attuned to - connecting to the electrical field of the earth has 'scientifically proven' benefits. It's not woo!Access to nature is completely missing from maternity care at a time when we are most sensitive, we are put in an incredibly artificial environment.Sunlight help facilitate huge surges of serotonin - this might be what gives women transcendental experiences during birth! This alongside melatonin also helps regulate pain! Examples of these principles in her own birth storiesHow to work with this in the north - we have minimal light, no vitamin d, not much grounding - but our bodies know how to deal with this! We shift from a vitamin d reality to a melatonin reality. This even impacts our sleep scheduleBalanced circadian rhythm knowledge is so coherent with postpartum principles! And can have huge impacts on newborns as well (like affecting jaundice!)How maternity wards and NICUs can catch up with the times. There's so much evidence for implementing small shifts which can facilitate healing.How supplementing melatonin could be a helpful for preeclampsia (but not recommended for every day, daily use.) We naturally create our own melatonin! Through multiple different pathways!Super trendy red light therapy is just mimicking fire light! Maybe you don't need to buy a super expensive light box, do you have access to fire?My continued hunt for restless legs relief...Setting up a grounded sleep environment with a building biologist! (I had no idea those existed!)How all this information coheres into her own life with four kids. (It's not actually that complicated.Get outside first thing in the morning!Eat protein, nutrient dense breakfast shortly after waking upSpend of time outside during the dayLights off after sundown (or before sunrise)- no blue lightHaving warm lights, close to the floor or using candles.Creating a calm, relaxing sleep environment that honors each kid's developmental stage.--------------------------Mentioned on the show:Maryn's episode on Taking Back Birth - 10 Steps to a Powerful Birth------------------------Thanks for listening!If you’re enjoying our show, please leave us a review!If you have anything you want to hear more about, or any questions you'd like us to address, please reach out at [email protected]. We welcome your feedback. Follow us on Instagram @catskillsbirthcollective for more musings and information on wholistic pregnancy, physiological birth, and intuitive motherhood. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We've talked a lot about how modern midwifery fall short of truly supporting the physiology of birth, and honoring the sacred aspect. You can hear my personal experience of this in my birth story (and here's part 2) . It's subtle, but after Olin's birth, I know I want something different next time. So I decided to think out loud for you today: why do I still want a midwife at my future births? You'll hear about:An update - including an exploration of my own views on my worth, and how I'm shifting stories to one of expansion. (Using tools we talk about in our course, Wise Woman, Sacred Birth.)How Sara's birth story and video re-inspired me to imagine the type of midwife I am calling in.This is a topic full of nuance, there is no black and white. There is a midwife for very woman, no one way of serving is better.Midwives are all their own people with their own stuff! Just because a midwife is labeled as whatever, means nothing about the way she practices, what she believes, her trauma and training and stories, etc.I don't feel like I NEED a midwife! I don't need someone to do testing and offer education. I don't need a 'professional' to be on hand to make birth safe. I don't need to be saved.But I WANT someone to hold space. To reflect myself back to me. To anchor me so I can dive deep into personal transformation.The difference between that and doing nothing. Because that kind of support often looks like doing nothing. And why I want this support from a midwife as opposed to a friend, my mother, etc.I can feel the skill set I'm looking for in a midwife when I am holding MotherCircle. It's a powerful attunement. Clicking in like this is an everyday super power.My mantra for my next birth - what I want a midwife to help me holdHow I'm already calling in the energy of my future midwifeMidwifery involves the physical and the spiritual - just holding one or the other does not a midwife make.I don't want to birth alone! I don't think most women do. I do think most women deep down would want different support than what is offered, hence the allure of freebirth.My prayer for the world: Make your own decisions! Ditch the dogma Feel what is deeply right for you, regardless of anyone else. -------------------------- Mentioned on the show: Sara's most recent birth storyDo Midwives Make Birth Safer - Taking Back BirthMy own birth stories (part 1 and part 2) ------------------------ Thanks for listening!If you’re enjoying our show, please leave us a review!If you have anything you want to hear more about, or any questions you'd like us to address, please reach out at [email protected]. We welcome your feedback. Follow us on Instagram @catskillsbirthcollective for more musings and information on wholistic pregnancy, physiological birth, and intuitive motherhood. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We have a lovely guest today, Stacey Ramsower!Through somatics, Ayurveda, and depth psychology, Stacey helps women navigate the shadowlands of Motherhood. In this episode, we explore the archetypes of motherhood, our own personal relation with creating community and connecting with other women, and so much more.You can find more about Stacey and her work through her website, Instagram, and hear her podcast, the Sacred Body podcast.She also has a free Intro to the Dark Mother class coming up on Friday, January 26th. -------------------------- Mentioned on the show: Innate TraditionsCenter for Sacred Window Studies ------------------------ Thanks for listening!If you’re enjoying our show, please leave us a review!If you have anything you want to hear more about, or any questions you'd like us to address, please reach out at [email protected]. We welcome your feedback. Follow us on Instagram @catskillsbirthcollective for more musings and information on wholistic pregnancy, physiological birth, and intuitive motherhood. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Learning about what optimal postpartum support looks and feels like can often leave women feeling overwhelmed and like it may be an unreachable goal. We are here today to break it down. We talk about how to logistically craft your plan, the wells of resource you can draw on that you may not have even considered, and how we structured our own postpartum support. We also go into the more energetic and emotional blocks to asking and receiving, and some things to consider as you orient yourself towards receiving with grace and gratitude. There is so much more on this topic that we would love to share, so stay tuned for our Postpartum Planning guide, and our even more in depth postpartum module in Wise Woman, Sacred Birth, our upcoming online birth education course! -------------------------- Mentioned on the show: Innate Traditions#14 The Vital Energies of Receiving in the Postpartum Time ------------------------ Thanks for listening!If you’re enjoying our show, please leave us a review!If you have anything you want to hear more about, or any questions you'd like us to address, please reach out at [email protected]. We welcome your feedback. Follow us on Instagram @catskillsbirthcollective for more musings and information on wholistic pregnancy, physiological birth, and intuitive motherhood. If you’re local, I now offer postpartum care! I’d love to support you through this tender time. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We welcome Sara’s fourth baby, her third son, into the world with the story of his birth. A beautiful simple, yet powerful and profound story. The whole family gathered around to witness the incredible power of their mama in what is both an incredibly powerful and awesome experience and at the same time the most natural, every day thing: physiological birth. The way her midwife supported her gave me chills, and I am so excited to see the lessons that unfold from this birth for Sara. Her words mean far more than this description could capture, so I’m going to leave you to it! Enjoy! -------------------------- Mentioned in the show: Our favorite prenatal strengthening program - Body Ready Method**use code dcrE0401 for a discount** Recommended magnesium glycinate for after pains ------------------------ Thanks for listening!If you’re enjoying our show, please leave us a review!If you have anything you want to hear more about, or any questions you'd like us to address, please reach out at [email protected]. We welcome your feedback. Follow us on Instagram @catskillsbirthcollective for more musings and information on wholistic pregnancy, physiological birth, and intuitive motherhood. If you’re local, I now offer postpartum care! I’d love to support you through this tender time. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’re diving in today on a subject we've been meaning to cover for quite some time. Join us as we go for a walk and discuss some considerations for a vegetarian pregnancy, and how Sara nourishes herself. We are coming from two different perspectives (I chose not to remain a vegetarian at around 6 months postpartum) and we recognize that this can be somewhat of a loaded topic. We hope you can remain open and committed to nourishing yourself and your child as best as you can, however that looks for you. Keep in mind that we are sharing about what works for us, none of this should be viewed as a “protocol” or a plan for anyone else. You need to figure out what feels good for you! We discuss:A general overview on how we each came to the dietary decisions we are in (for more of my story, listen to episode 12, Reflections on a Year of Big Transitions.)What Sara eats in a day to feel satiated and confident that she and her baby are getting what they needCreative ideas around protein intake (which can often feel limited in a vegetarian diet) and how she centers her meals around themYummy, nutrient dense snack ideas, both savory and sweetSupplements she takes during her pregnancy (We have a PDF resource on this as well.)Knowing your body/listening to what’s working in relation to blood sugar, protein needs, and supplementsMaking your own decision and owning it. There can be so many judgements around the topic of food, but at the end of the day, you are the one responsible for your health and that of your baby. Make your own decisions, do your own research, and own it!How this kind of nourishment doesn’t stop when pregnancy is over, and actually many macro and micro needs are higher when breastfeeding.A reframe of nourishment and cooking for yourself and your family as a chore, to a blessing of nourishment. -------------------------- Mentioned in the show: - All the foods and supplements we recommend - The original "yolky" drink - The Seed of Joy's lovely Postpartum Cookbook(the one with the yolky cacao) - Our friend Aiste's course - Plant Empowered Woman - The Root Cause Protocol ------------------------ Thanks for listening!If you’re enjoying our show, please leave us a review!If you have anything you want to hear more about, or any questions you'd like us to address, please reach out at [email protected]. We welcome your feedback. Follow us on Instagram @catskillsbirthcollective for more musings and information on wholistic pregnancy, physiological birth, and intuitive motherhood. If you’re local, I now offer postpartum care! I’d love to support you through this tender time. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today's intentionally provocatively named solo-cast is about... well, exactly what the title says. I had a small revelation the other day where a series of stories led me to understand the conditions under which just picking a date and having surgery instead of experiencing the mystery of birth is a more appealing option. This is not a judgement on anyone's choices, but rather my discussion with myself on that moment of intense empathy. For women who are not educated about what their body's will do in pregnancy and birth. For women who have only heard stories and narratives of birth being scary and dangerous. Of women who have yet to experience the joy and power of being deeply connected to their body's and to other women. And of a society that functions on an artificial clock, while ignoring out natural rhythms and timings. This is for all those women, and for all of you who listening to encourage you to plant the seeds and inhabit your own wilds. -------------------------- Mentioned in the show: - Petri Mesa's podcast - the Earthside Birth Podcast ------------------------ Thanks for listening!If you’re enjoying our show, please leave us a review!If you have anything you want to hear more about, or any questions you'd like us to address, please reach out at [email protected]. We welcome your feedback. Follow us on Instagram @catskillsbirthcollective for more musings and information on wholistic pregnancy, physiological birth, and intuitive motherhood. If you’re local, I now offer postpartum care! I’d love to support you through this tender time. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We've been meaning to record an episode on the topic of pain, sensations, whatever you want to call it in birth for quite a while. That's often one of the first thoughts/fears that someone who has never birthed before has "but what is it going to feel like? How much is it going to hurt? Will I be able to handle it?" We share a bit about our own birth stories and how sensations changed throughout, and talk more generally about what pain is and how we choose to perceive sensations. ***We had some technical difficulties, and the audio quality is not ideal. It's pretty fuzzy for the first 10 minutes, but gets better after that. And I had to cut out the end, but summarized it for you all in an extra clip.*** You’ll hear about:-Sara's practice at the end of her pregnancy for tapping into the labor space and navigating those sensations-Our birth experiences and the best description of the sensations we could give. Ranging from early labor, the feeling of easefully surfing through contractions with deep presence, and how subtle it can be to pull a woman out of that space-How these sensations felt so much bigger and we felt less able to "stay on top of them" when our birth processes were interrupted-How people in your birth space can have such a huge influence on your experience!-Pain vs Suffering-The power of our minds to interpret sensations as pain - or not!-Our invitation to consider a new channel of curiosity and experience for what these sensations might be like. -Previously in our lives, painful sensations are a sign of danger, illness, things out of balance. But birth has intense sensations that means everything is ok. Nothing needs to be done. -When we are in a state of hormonal flow, ecstatic hormones going, we might perceive/experience things differently/easier to deal with. -If you are deep in it, you now how your body needs to move, which can facilitate labor. -------------------------- Mentioned in the show:Rachel Reed's article on Cervical LipsJerry Walsh's podcast - BodhiSpeak ------------------------ Thanks for listening!If you’re enjoying our show, please leave us a rating and review!If you have anything you want to hear more about, or any questions you'd like us to address, please reach out at [email protected]. We welcome your feedback. Follow us on Instagram @catskillsbirthcollective for more musings and information on wholistic pregnancy, physiological birth, and intuitive motherhood. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today is a very special episode - I got to sit down and talk with Nicole (@seedofjoy_) about... well, whatever came up! This was such a rich conversation on all the ways she knows this life can be FOR US. We talked about becoming more boundaried as a mother, how to create structure for a deeply restful, healing, and (dare we say) blissful postpartum time (this goes far beyond "freeze some soup, ask your sister in law to help with laundry"), and how to soften and open to receive every beautiful thing life is offering you. Every nugget in this episode could be expanded into a book, or a life's work of practicing, and I was so moved and inspired personally by this conversation. I hope it touches you too! ------------------------ You can find Nicole on instagram @theseedofjoy_, or her website theseedof joy.com. Her Raising Sons workshop is this weekend, 11/11/23, and keep a lookout for Rooted, her mentorship program this winter! She also has a beautiful postpartum course that I am very much looking forward to when I next have a postpartum to plan for, and a yummy postpartum summit. ------------------------ Thanks for listening!If you’re enjoying our show, please leave us a rating and review!If you have anything you want to hear more about, or any questions you'd like us to address, please reach out at [email protected]. We welcome your feedback. Find us on Instagram @catskillsbirthcollective for more musings and information on wholistic pregnancy, physiological birth, and intuitive motherhood. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sara is back today! We wanted to share a bit about this deep mother-wisdom that we see activate in women when they are pregnant and become mothers, and that we ourselves have experienced. You could call it mother's intuition, spidey senses, just deeply knowing and noticing her children, or a mother's ability to tune into a universal wisdom of the feminine and specifically of motherhood. You'll hear about:Little ways to practice connection to body and it's subtle messagesTaking tiny moments to check inDancing!!Honoring cues (hunger, thirst, pee, movement)Spending time with mamas you admireAcknowledging your gratitude for them can help remind you of your ownTime with mamas who trust you, and reflect back your own mother-wisdomAmplifying “mother frequency”Nervous system workWhen we are relaxed and open, we are more tapped inWhen we are stressed, have less capacity to listenWhen hard things come up, create space to think about it. Allow your nervous system to relax before jumping into somethingHonor your partnerIn seeing and exalting their contribution, you can see your own in the negative spaceSpend time in natureMessages, signs, come when we are closest to “spirit” feeling aligned. For me, this is in natureAs Maryn Green says - Mother Earth is your kids original mother, you are the imperfect human mother. Returning to nature can help us feel mothered ourselves. -------------------------- Mentioned in the show: Maryn Green's Magical Mama Circle ------------------------ Thanks for listening!If you’re enjoying our show, please leave us a rating and review!If you have anything you want to hear more about, or any questions you'd like us to address, please reach out at [email protected]. We welcome your feedback. Make sure you are following us on Instagram @catskillsbirthcollective for more musings and information on wholistic pregnancy, physiological birth, and intuitive motherhood. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sara put together this list to get clear on her desires, values, and priorities for herself, her partner, and her midwife. Keep in mind that this is very individual, and you will probably want different things. We thought it might be helpful for people to see some things to consider discussing with a midwife in preparation for birth. Here's the list that we talk through in this episode: PLEASE DO:Speak/offer words of encouragementRemind me that there is a baby in there/to connect with the babyRemind me to be PRESENT & PATIENTOffer cold wash clothsTouchRemind me to drink and eatHonor the Golden Hour with as much silence, stillness, slowness, and gentleness as possibleGive me spaceTake photos and video!PLEASE DON'TSuggest or guide me to push in any capacityOffer cervical examsSuggest position shiftsCatch the babyHave your hands near baby while coming out or touch unless absolutely needed & if so communicate whyApply cord traction - I will birth placenta & let you know if I needhelp. If you're concerned, communicatePut blankets, hats or towels on baby -------------------------- Mentioned in the show: Maryn's Birth Video of Deva------------------------ Thanks for listening!If you’re enjoying our show, please leave us a rating and review!If you have anything you want to hear more about, or any questions you'd like us to address, please reach out at [email protected]. We welcome your feedback. Make sure you are following us on Instagram @catskillsbirthcollective for more musings and information on wholistic pregnancy, physiological birth, and intuitive motherhood. If you’re local, we’d love to see you at our MotherCircle in October! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.