Grandmother Moon and You

)O(

Have you heard the story of Grandmother Moon? How her sister, Grandmother Ocean, offered to cleanse the excessive energy we take in through out the month and in doing so, Grandmother Moon brings her sister's waters to use once a month. (If not, you can read the story here.)

The moon controls the flow of the tides and electromagnetic fields. We hold inside our wombs, in our souls a small replica of her power. From our journey through the maiden to the mother to the wise old crone, or the process of releasing an egg to provide a fertile place where the seed of life can continue to grow, the power of the moon is inside of us. A woman on her menses used to be referred to being "on her moon" and was revered as sacred and honored by everyone in her tribe or community. 

We need to remember the times when being on "on the moon" meant we were more like the moon. She is our life cycle and our life source. She is like a young fair maiden at the beginning of her cycle. Growing with experience and gaining confidence until she shines at her fullest. Full like a mother pregnant with her own maiden, an embodiment of the fullest part of our cycles, when we can carry the life force in us at the highest. She shimmers like the old crone with her sage wisdom at the end of her cycle, preparing to pass her secret on to the next maiden before her light releases into the next plane. 

We have long forgotten the power that the moon lends us. Instead we rush her, push her and ignore her natural call. Like a great mother keeping watch over us as we sleep, we've given our trust to her, but no longer in return to we acknowledge her strength and wisdom in our hearts, souls and wombs. She is not only a reminder of being watched, she is a reminder of how our cycle should be. Empty, yearning for fulfillment, plump with expectancy and then passing every so beautiful with a rush of glory.  

This forgetfulness has come at a risk. We no longer know how to handle the energy lent to use during our moon period. The consequences of this are great. We suffer from mood disorders, PMS, PMDD, lack of energy extreme bleeding and cramps. We do not use her light and a beacon to remember our cycles. We are not in sync as women anymore. (And I'd wager this has A LOT to do with the "mommy wars".) We have been deprogrammed to know the strength in our menses and programmed to think of them as an inconvenience.

But the beauty is we can regain this. We can tune back into Grandmother Moon. We can meditate, sit in the moonlight and removed stress and toxins from our diet to get us back to Mother Earth and Grandmother Moon. The most beneficial and productive way to get our cycles back on, well, cycle is to enjoy our menses. Rest, meditate, avoid things that pull your energy, feed yourself quality food during your menses and honor the inner goddess in you. Yoga is great during your menses because it forces you to focus and breathe while allowing tension to be released.

So the next time you're tempted to moan about your menses to your fellow sage sister, take a moment, breathe and enjoy a cup of tea (I recommend some Red Raspberry Leaf Tea for it's amazing properties.) and share with you sage sister the beauty of the power you hold inside your womb. 

Namaste

(To join a group of women who are dedicated to tracking their cycles and taking charge of their fertility and harnessing the moon, please look up "Moon Daughters" on Facebook.)

Ramble, Ramble

So I've been gone. I know, crummy me. But between a birth, mailing gifts out (and prizes!!) and starting to take charge of my healthy, I've just been kind of swamped. So while today is short and sweet, I do think about you all daily and am figuring out everything on my iPhone to get things going.

So this week brings *hopefully* the launch of the Etsy shop. Week 2 of C25k training and enough lettuce in my garden to make a salad!

So here's the baby from the last birth I attended! She's gorgeous and her mom was a rockstar! VBAC natural birth that didn't last very long at all. This family was amazing. Seriously, the dad of Baby W could be teaching classes on how to be a gentleman.

Ignore my lovely look. I was exhausted!

Here's one of the first babies I was there to witness and support being born. Baby Kenners (not her real name!) is actually the cousin to Baby W. She too was also born naturally to a mom having her 3rd baby and first natural birth! It was a marathon birth, but taught me so much! And Momma ended up becoming one of my best friends.

Those cheeks! She's so loveable. We even FaceTime!

And last but not least, my running soundtrack. Just because I am so giddy about my old school music!

So tell me below, what do you listen to when you workout!?!

-The Anti-Mainstream Mom


 

Preparing Your Mind and Body for Labor

One of the most challenging and fulfilling experiences in life is giving birth. It is a test of will and strength that is like no other. But just like any races or workout you begin, you do not want to go into in unprepared, mentally and physically. Below are several ways you can begin to prepare your body and mind for labor.

Mentally: By far, labor is a mental game. Being prepared and understanding what each stage of labor is going to bring will allow your mind and body to stay in the game far longer. You can prepare mentally by:

Visualization: Visualizing your birth experience and how you want to handle each change is a

great way to plan. Walk yourself through how you feel early/latent labor going, where do you

plan on laboring at, is there music, etc. Do this for each stage. Writing it down can often help

you affirm your plan. Make it positive, but also visualize how you would handle unexpected

circumstances. 

 

Prayer/Meditation: Using prayer and meditation to release your positive energy and thoughts to

direct your birth. Ask your religious Deity for support during labor. Turn to Scripture or Religious

text to prepare you.

Don't get hung up on the “What ifs?”: Every birth experience from mother to mother and even

baby to baby is going to be different. Don't get hung up worrying about what could have or

should have happened. You might be planning and preparing for a homebirth, but a natural

hospital birth can be just as fulfilling if you allow yourself the chance to enjoy it. Life changes

constantly, be prepared to roll with them.

Let go of your fears: It's a little know, not talked about in the OB office fact that fear can slow

or even stall your progress. Let go of fears and trust in your innate ability to birth your baby and you will be able to handle any obstacle that arises.

Focus on Baby: The ultimate goal here is a happy, healthy baby. Remembering that your are

working for the baby and not the method in which you get there will take a lot of stress off.

Yes, every woman wants her ideal birth, and there is nothing wrong with working towards that,

but do not become so hung up on the birth experience that you forget the reason you are

birthing.

Physically:

Just like preparing for a race, you want to train your body. You do not want to get the point of pushing and not have the stamina to continue. Because birth is a race of it's own kind, you want to prepare your body in accordance. Below are a few ways to prepare your body physically.

Gentle Exercise: I am not advocating you going out and doing some high end workout routine or

beginning a couch to 5k training, but you do want to gently exercise your body. Great ways to

do this are yoga and walking. The point of gentle exercise is to not wear yourself out, but to

increase your stamina so that you can go further and longer when birth begins.

Hydration: Often women are so tired of running to the restroom at the end of labor you'll find

them drinking less and less. This is the exact opposite of what you want to do. Being hydrated

has profound benefits on your birth experience. You will find that contractions can feel stronger

when you are dehydrated or your other muscles will cramp up. Since most hospitals do not allow

you to drink, you want to be well hydrated going in.

Breathing: This is very important to a runner, a dancer and even a birthing mother. Your

breathe is a very powerful and controlling action. During labor, you have the ability to breathe

yourself through the contractions, even when you think you aren't able. Start learning coping

breathes now so that when labor comes, you are prepared with the ones you want to try.

Stretching: Stretching your muscles daily will help prevent cramps and tightening during labor.

The looser and more relaxed you can be during labor the easier it will be for you to handle

the contractions.

Kegel Exercises: Kegel exercises are used to strengthen the pelvic muscles to aide in a better

birth. These should be performed daily to increase their effectiveness. They should be done 30

times a day and held for 30 seconds. To do them you flex your muscles like you would stop your

urine.

Perineum Massage: Massaging of the perineum during pregnancy works to increase the elasticity

to prevent tears or the need of an episiotomy during delivery. While this can be done on your

own, it is much easier and effective if you have your partner do it for you. 

**This is actually a document I wrote for my childbirth education classes. Please ask permission before reprinting.** 

Hugs & Coffee, 

-The Anti-Mainstream Mom  

Sources

Beier, Catherine. (2013, April 5). You want a natural vaginal birth, but have you prepared for it?. Retrieved from www.givingbirthnaturally.com

McBride, Tocarra. (2011, July 4). Natural way to prepare your body for the birth of a baby. Retrieved from www.livestrong.com

Clark, Sarah. (2010, September 20). 1o ways to prepare a mom for a great birth. Retrieved from www.mamabirth.blogspot.com