Meet the Midwives!!

Ever since we decided to try and have a baby I knew midwives were for me. Its hard to explain or even to remember when or how I started thinking this way. I believe that pregnancy and birth are some of the most natural parts of being a woman. Its what our bodies are meant to do and that is amazing. As I saw my personal health care over the years evolve to more natural doctors, chiropractic care, acupuncture and yoga, the shift to midwifery care while pregnant makes sense. 

I started doing research on midwifery and Seattle area midwives once we started down this baby road. I wanted to be prepared and knowledgeable. I also started to ask myself - do I want a midwife that has been catching babies since to dark ages or possibly a younger midwife. I also wondered - would they even take me into their care? Here I am in my early 40's and just starting on this baby thing? 

Then I found In Tandem Midwifery. Reading through their website I knew that I needed to meet them. Mr. Ramon was on board to go meet and greet Christine and Taylor. And at that visit, I knew - just like you know on a first date that these ladies were for me. 

I was excited to hear from them how they work with clients, what our birth options were and how we would work together. Mr. Ramon asked a lot of the tough questions - like "Have you ever lost a baby or a mom?", "What if something goes wrong?". They were completely prepared for any question we asked. I was so exctited to know that I am considered a low risk pregnancy and that Midwifery care would be in the cards for me and baby!

Some people worry about the level of training that midwives receive. Fear not - midwives go through extensive schooling and many hours of real hands on experience before becoming licensed. A great resource in Washington is Midwives' Association of Washington State. 

"Licensed Midwives (LMs) complete a state-accredited midwifery program and are licensed by the State of Washington. Washington state law requires licensed midwives to complete 3 years in a state-approved midwifery educational program, which includes participation in 100 or more births and verification of clinical skills and didactic course work. To attain licensure, all LMs must pass an examination provided to the state by the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM)."

The care I receive with Christine and Taylor is so amazing. Our monthly visits are in depth and we talk about all aspects of my pregnancy from physical to emotional. They have been able to recommend a wonderful Naturopathic Physician for me as well as a new chiropractor. Having this amazing team support me during my pregnancy feels so powerful. 

Beauty Without Cruelty

The holiday shopping season in full effect many of you will be  buying gifts of perfume, creams, lotions and potions for the ones you love. I love me some beauty products. At one point last year I felt like I was a little out of control and wanted to pare back the products I used and make some good choices doing that. 

I did some research online to see how I could know which products would meet my new criteria - companies that cared for the world, not tested on animals and free of chemicals. The resource I found was The Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics.

"The Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics’ (CCIC) Leaping Bunny Program administers a cruelty-free standard and the internationally recognized Leaping Bunny Logo for companies producing cosmetic, personal care, and household products. The Leaping Bunny Program provides the best assurance that no new animal testing is used in any phase of product development by the company, its laboratories, or suppliers. "

They have a great guide on their website that lists all of the companies that are not testing on animals. You can even order a small printed version of this guide to keep in your bag for your shopping trips. They also have a Cruelty Free ap for your phone.

Many companies that are a part of the CCIC use the leaping bunny symbol on their products. Making it easy for your to identifiy that they are cruelty free. 

It took some time but as I finished one particular product I looked for an alternative that met this criteria. Some of the choices I made were not the best product for me, I had to exchange some products. But I have found some really great products I can feel good about that work just as well for me as their "tested on animals" versions. 

I hope you will take a look at this list when making personal choices and giving gifts. 

travel sickness cure

How fun it was one day to bump into a group of people we knew in Paris and then meet up a few days later at one of the famous falafel restaurants.

Megan of Not Martha was part of the little group we bumped into - I had met her before at a Grassroots Business gathering I attended as a speaker. She is a pretty big deal in the blogging world - she would totally deny it of course.

We sat next to each other and had some discussions about things we love or not love in Paris. She and her guy were traveling to England the next day and she mentioned that she has some need for travel sickness pills occasionally. She was hoping to pick up these magic pills at a pharmacy. I mentioned that I also have issues and that it would be cool if she grabbed me a box.

Well - with so many things going on and being in Paris and all I had forgotten my request. So it was so nice to see her walk into Immortal Dog with this little package in her hand for me...... Boots Travel Calm.

I love pharmacies and Paris had great ones stocked with fancy face products, lots of foot products for all the walking they do and fancy soaps etc. I was entranced. So Megan bringing me this product from the Boots store in England was so awesome! Thanks for thinking of me! I look forward to trying it out on my next motion adventure!