Jun 20, 2012
Mar 6, 2012
Trust Birth
Dear newly pregnant mom,
"You have just found out that a new life is becoming within you. Isn’t it amazing how a miracle can seem so normal and ordinary.
No matter how this journey started or how it ends – you are now a mother. The membership fee to remain in this worldwide sorority, is this only, unconditional love – for yourself and your baby. The birth of your baby, however it happens whether at home or in the O.R. is the final initiation, a rite of passage into this immense power of women.
This is your training period. The choices whether easy or difficult start now. This new life depends on you to do your best. And there will be many days when it seems like your best is not good enough. It is.
Use this time to read. Those who love you will want to shower you with love and advice. In these moments, ask them a list of their favorite and least favorite books – read them all. As you read, try not to read as a scholar who tries to retain every word but instead as an adventurer looking for gems of knowledge and wisdom – a hidden treasure. Read to increase your personal wisdom that lay deep within you. It’s ok if the books that resonate with you are on the black list of the most popular parenting site or moms groups – this just means that you will need to use faith and wisdom to walk this journey. Remember that it’s ok to have your specific personal needs and limitations. These make you special.
The birth of your baby matters. For many this will be one of the biggest initiations they will ever experience. You will need:
courage
strength
resolve
sacrifice
time
patience
endurance
kindness
anger
fear
acceptance
excitement
surprise
doubt
pain
laughter
quietness
relief
softness
sadness
trust
WISDOM
You need to feel all of this and more because these are qualities you will need as a mother. You need to know that the birth of your baby may or may not go as you plan. How it ends is not really the important lesson, but what you learn about yourself from how it ends. Will you take the lessons from your birth and allow them to make you a stronger, wiser woman and mother?
I suspect you might feel like this initiation is too big for you. It’s not. We allow you to be surrounded by love and experience. Ask for help. It’s the responsible decision to bring a guide with you on this journey you have never been on before. Asking for help is often more courageous than trying to walk into the unknown unprepared.
As you welcome your baby into the world. Trust yourself. Believe that whatever you are feeling or not feeling is normal – if it wasn’t, it would be different."
Do your best. Trust yourself. Welcome.
With open arms,
Your birth mentor,
Mama Sayana
"You have just found out that a new life is becoming within you. Isn’t it amazing how a miracle can seem so normal and ordinary.
No matter how this journey started or how it ends – you are now a mother. The membership fee to remain in this worldwide sorority, is this only, unconditional love – for yourself and your baby. The birth of your baby, however it happens whether at home or in the O.R. is the final initiation, a rite of passage into this immense power of women.
This is your training period. The choices whether easy or difficult start now. This new life depends on you to do your best. And there will be many days when it seems like your best is not good enough. It is.
Use this time to read. Those who love you will want to shower you with love and advice. In these moments, ask them a list of their favorite and least favorite books – read them all. As you read, try not to read as a scholar who tries to retain every word but instead as an adventurer looking for gems of knowledge and wisdom – a hidden treasure. Read to increase your personal wisdom that lay deep within you. It’s ok if the books that resonate with you are on the black list of the most popular parenting site or moms groups – this just means that you will need to use faith and wisdom to walk this journey. Remember that it’s ok to have your specific personal needs and limitations. These make you special.
The birth of your baby matters. For many this will be one of the biggest initiations they will ever experience. You will need:
courage
strength
resolve
sacrifice
time
patience
endurance
kindness
anger
fear
acceptance
excitement
surprise
doubt
pain
laughter
quietness
relief
softness
sadness
trust
WISDOM
You need to feel all of this and more because these are qualities you will need as a mother. You need to know that the birth of your baby may or may not go as you plan. How it ends is not really the important lesson, but what you learn about yourself from how it ends. Will you take the lessons from your birth and allow them to make you a stronger, wiser woman and mother?
I suspect you might feel like this initiation is too big for you. It’s not. We allow you to be surrounded by love and experience. Ask for help. It’s the responsible decision to bring a guide with you on this journey you have never been on before. Asking for help is often more courageous than trying to walk into the unknown unprepared.
As you welcome your baby into the world. Trust yourself. Believe that whatever you are feeling or not feeling is normal – if it wasn’t, it would be different."
Do your best. Trust yourself. Welcome.
With open arms,
Your birth mentor,
Mama Sayana
Sep 13, 2011
Please be sure to inform and register your mommy friends for one of the
FREE car seat clinics being organized for General Motors.
General Motors Canada has hired Baby Car Seat
Experts Inc. and WeeWelcome.ca (founded by CityLine guest expert Maureen
Dennis) to help them organize six car seat clinics. CityLine host, Tracy
Moore will be present to help parents register and guide them.
Below are the dates and locations to all six GM car seat clinics.
There's limited space, so register now!
Saturday, September 10, ROY FOSS VAUGHAN 2 Auto Park Circle Woodbridge,
ON L4L 8R1
Saturday, September 17, ROY FOSS THORNHILL 7200 Yonge Street,
Thornhill, ON L4J 1V8
Saturday, September 24, MARKVILLE CHEVROLET BUICK GMC, 5336 Highway #7
Markham, ON L3P 1B9
Saturday, October 8, APPLEWOOD CHEVROLET CADILLAC BUICK GMC, 3000
Woodchester Drive Mississauga, ON L5L 2R4
Saturday, October 15, CITY BUICK CHEVROLET CADILLAC GMC, 1900 Victoria
Park Avenue Toronto, ON M1R 1T6
Saturday, October 22, COURTESY CHEVROLET 1635 The Queensway Toronto, ON
M8Z 1T8
Please call Lio for further details (647)993-7233
Aug 31, 2011
The natural caesarean: a woman-centred technique
Although much effort has gone into promoting early skin-to-skin contact and parental involvement at vaginal birth, caesarean birth remains entrenched in surgical and resuscitative rituals, which delay parental contact, impair maternal satisfaction and reduce breastfeeding. This video describes a 'natural' approach that mimics the situation at vaginal birth by allowing (i) the parents to watch the birth of their child as active participants (ii) slow delivery with physiological autoresuscitation and (iii) the baby to be transferred directly onto the mother's chest for early skin-to-skin. Studies are required into methods of reforming caesarean section, the most common operation worldwide.
Yogawoman
Yoga was brought to the west from India by a lineage of male teachers. Now there's a generation of women who are leading the way. They're strong, their inspiring and they're radically changing people's lives. YOGAWOMAN, a groundbreaking film, uncovering a global phenomenon that has changed the face of yoga forever.
Jun 27, 2011
May 30, 2011
Zoloft Connected to Birth Defects, Serious Side Effects
The popular anti-anxiety medication Zoloft has been associated with serious birth defects according to a study published in the British Medical Journal.
The study found that the risk of developing birth defects such as septal defects may be doubled in infants whose mothers took Zoloft while pregnant. Septal defects create holes in the upper or lower chambers of the heart and affect the way that blood pumps from chamber to chamber.
The development of septal defects in babies was found to increase from 0.5 percent to 0.9 percent in pregnant women who took Zoloft during the first three months of pregnancy.
Due to these serious side effects, many women have filed a Zoloft lawsuit against the drug manufacturer. Although Zoloft does carry safety warnings, the medication has not yet been recalled and is available on the market.
Zoloft is an antidepressant medication and treats a variety of anxiety disorders such as obsessive compulsive disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder. The drug balances chemicals in the brain that are out of balance in patients diagnosed with anxiety or depression.
Serious Zoloft side effects include muscle stiffness, confusion, irritability, hot or dry skin, coma and involuntary muscle movements. Zoloft also carries warnings concerning the increased risk of neonatal persistent pulmonary hypertension, serotonin syndrome and suicidal behavior.
The Food and Drug Administration is currently reviewing data about the risks associated with Zoloft.
For additional information please call (800) 409-0193
Written by:Mickey Colón
National Awareness Coordinator
www.ZoloftLawsuit.com
The study found that the risk of developing birth defects such as septal defects may be doubled in infants whose mothers took Zoloft while pregnant. Septal defects create holes in the upper or lower chambers of the heart and affect the way that blood pumps from chamber to chamber.
The development of septal defects in babies was found to increase from 0.5 percent to 0.9 percent in pregnant women who took Zoloft during the first three months of pregnancy.
Due to these serious side effects, many women have filed a Zoloft lawsuit against the drug manufacturer. Although Zoloft does carry safety warnings, the medication has not yet been recalled and is available on the market.
Zoloft is an antidepressant medication and treats a variety of anxiety disorders such as obsessive compulsive disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder. The drug balances chemicals in the brain that are out of balance in patients diagnosed with anxiety or depression.
Serious Zoloft side effects include muscle stiffness, confusion, irritability, hot or dry skin, coma and involuntary muscle movements. Zoloft also carries warnings concerning the increased risk of neonatal persistent pulmonary hypertension, serotonin syndrome and suicidal behavior.
The Food and Drug Administration is currently reviewing data about the risks associated with Zoloft.
For additional information please call (800) 409-0193
Written by:Mickey Colón
National Awareness Coordinator
www.ZoloftLawsuit.com
Being Born: The Doula's Role (children's book)
Being Born: The Doula's Role
by Jewel Hernandez
Illustrated by R. Michael Mithuna
This children’s picture book with simple text and soft watercolors explains in friendly terms to kids and parents about the role of a doula – a healthcare professional who offers physical and emotional support to a pregnant woman and her family. Research confirms that the support of a doula throughout pregnancy optimizes a woman’s chances of having a healthier birth experience as well as a healthier newborn. This book celebrates birth – as a natural and whole-family experience. Both its text and images present the subject clearly, but in child-appropriate language. Its gentle advocacy of a doula’s role make Being Born an invaluable resource for childbirth educators to use with first pregnancies, teenage mothers, and with families for whom English is a second language. When read to younger siblings, this book will be a source of comfort to those who wonder about all the people involved when mom is “having a baby.”
No other child-oriented picture-book covers the subject of doulas.
Click here to make an online purchase
May 19, 2011
Awesome TED Talk On Birth, Power And Doulas.
"I don't tell them what to do, I believe in them."
Sometimes a good TED talk is the best way to grasp a new and complex topic in minutes. What you’ll grasp from watching this one is, among other things, why a doula can be so valuable to a woman in labor. You’ll also learn just how awesome Ginny Phang is.
Ginny Phang is passionate about enriching a woman's child birth experience, supporting couples through their choices and
helping them to achieve the best possible birth experience. As a Doula, she has supported over 300 births and taught antenatal classes to hundreds of couples. She works with first-time mothers, mothers who have had multiple babies, couples from all corners of the world, vaginal births after a cesarean, breech vaginal births, twins, water births, and home births. She believes in doulaing with a warm heart because birth matters.
She joined with many women in Singapore who delivered TEDx Talks to share their stories and ideas joining with the voices of hundreds of other during Global TED Women over 2 days in Dec 2010.
She’s been speaking all over the world in front of audiences ranging from small groups of single pregnant women to the Singapore International Congress of Obstetrics & Gynecology. She’s been trained by pioneers in childbirth education and labor support. She’s been quoted all over the place, including TIME magazine and other publications.
In her talk, she tells us what led her to becoming a doula, how labor works, and how our ideas about birth can shape our experience of labor and pain in labor. She ends with a handy check-list of things you can do to try and have a positive birth. Throughout there’s boatloads of wisdom, humor and insight. Even if you know all about doulas and how birth works, I think you’ll be really taken by Ginny’s incredible charm. Let’s just put it this way: I’d give birth with her any time!
Here is the video clip Ginny screens at the end of her TEDx Talk.
Four Trimesters Birth Videos
Sometimes a good TED talk is the best way to grasp a new and complex topic in minutes. What you’ll grasp from watching this one is, among other things, why a doula can be so valuable to a woman in labor. You’ll also learn just how awesome Ginny Phang is.
Ginny Phang is passionate about enriching a woman's child birth experience, supporting couples through their choices and
helping them to achieve the best possible birth experience. As a Doula, she has supported over 300 births and taught antenatal classes to hundreds of couples. She works with first-time mothers, mothers who have had multiple babies, couples from all corners of the world, vaginal births after a cesarean, breech vaginal births, twins, water births, and home births. She believes in doulaing with a warm heart because birth matters.
She joined with many women in Singapore who delivered TEDx Talks to share their stories and ideas joining with the voices of hundreds of other during Global TED Women over 2 days in Dec 2010.
She’s been speaking all over the world in front of audiences ranging from small groups of single pregnant women to the Singapore International Congress of Obstetrics & Gynecology. She’s been trained by pioneers in childbirth education and labor support. She’s been quoted all over the place, including TIME magazine and other publications.
In her talk, she tells us what led her to becoming a doula, how labor works, and how our ideas about birth can shape our experience of labor and pain in labor. She ends with a handy check-list of things you can do to try and have a positive birth. Throughout there’s boatloads of wisdom, humor and insight. Even if you know all about doulas and how birth works, I think you’ll be really taken by Ginny’s incredible charm. Let’s just put it this way: I’d give birth with her any time!
Here is the video clip Ginny screens at the end of her TEDx Talk.
Four Trimesters Birth Videos
May 8, 2011
Happy Mother's Day.
"Mother is a gift of god. She is an angel, which protects you from all the evils of the world and gives you a secure shelter in her lap whenever you feel stressed and insecure. Irrespective of how we look or behave, our mother showers us with all possible love and blessings in the world. Despite how successful we become, she can't ignore her little concerns for us. Despite we become mature enough, we remain a 'silly darling kid' in our momma eyes. Though she is a guardian angel to us, we hardly ever get an opportunity to thank her for lending us a shoulder to cry, a lap to rest, hands to catch hold of us whenever we fall. She is our dearest pal and our best companion ever. On this mother's day, shower your mother with all the good messages we have exclusively given for you. Tell her that you love her and no one else could ever substitute the position she holds in your heart."
May 4, 2011
Celebrate International Day of the Midwife!
Come join us in the Toronto International Day of the Midwife Walk.
Time and Place:
Tomorrow from 10:30 am to 1:30 pm
Location:
344 Bloor St. W. Toronto, ON
Please join in! Community Midwives of Toronto is planning an event on May 5 for the International Day of the Midwife.
Toronto International Day of the Midwife Walk Thursday, May 5, 2011 9:30 – sign-making session: meet at Community Midwives of Toronto, 344 Bloor St. W., Suite 201 10:30 – walk begins at corner of Bloor & Spadina 5K walk proceeds (sidewalks only – please no large bikes). Route ends at Queen’s Park.
For more information, contact Community Midwives of Toronto at 416-944-9366. For more information on the Walk to Durban campaign, visit http://www.internationalmidwives.org/Default.aspx
Time and Place:
Tomorrow from 10:30 am to 1:30 pm
Location:
344 Bloor St. W. Toronto, ON
Please join in! Community Midwives of Toronto is planning an event on May 5 for the International Day of the Midwife.
Toronto International Day of the Midwife Walk Thursday, May 5, 2011 9:30 – sign-making session: meet at Community Midwives of Toronto, 344 Bloor St. W., Suite 201 10:30 – walk begins at corner of Bloor & Spadina 5K walk proceeds (sidewalks only – please no large bikes). Route ends at Queen’s Park.
For more information, contact Community Midwives of Toronto at 416-944-9366. For more information on the Walk to Durban campaign, visit http://www.internationalmidwives.org/Default.aspx
May 3, 2011
"No Woman, No Cry"
Host a Watch Party.
"No Woman, No Cry" is coming to your living room! Grab your friends, your family and host a watch party!
In her gripping directorial debut, Christy Turlington Burns shares the powerful stories of at-risk pregnant women in four parts of the world, including a remote Maasai tribe in Tanzania, a slum of Bangladesh, a post-abortion care ward in Guatemala, and a prenatal clinic in the United States.
To celebrate, and to show your support for the “Count Me In!” campaign, we’re asking you to invite your friends, your family, your moms group or whomever you choose to have a watch party and watch it together. We’ll provide a discussion guide with background information on the film, Every Mother Counts, the issue and some key discussion questions to guide the conversation with your friends.
There are lots of ways to make this work:
Go to facebook RSVP page and use facebook to invite your friends and spread the word
Or if you’d rather host a watchparty online, check out watchparty.tv and learn how to enjoy the film with friends and family (from your individual living rooms!)
"No Woman, No Cry" premieres on the OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network for Mother’s Day:
May 7th at 9:30pm ET
May 8th at 1:00pm ET
May 2, 2011
Fetal Circulation Rap
This short film on fetal development and circulation is sure to having you rolling over with laughter. Enjoy!
Apr 22, 2011
Earth Day: Give Earth a Hand
This fragile Earth deserves a voice. It needs solutions. It needs change. It needs you.
Apr 21, 2011
Pump Talk: Expressing, Storing and Feeding Breastmilk: Live Webinar
Pump Talk Live Webinar - Friday, April 22nd at 2:00 PM EST
Whether you are preparing to return to work or just thinking about expressing your breastmilk for an occasional bottle, this class will help you get started. Led by an experienced Board Certified Lactation Consultant, this interactive live webinar covers all the FAQs expecting and new moms want to know about pumping, introducing a bottle or returning to work.
Topics covered include:
*Establishing and maintaining a full milk supply
*Introducing a bottle
*Breastpump options and accessories
*Tips and techniques for milk expression
*Safe storage of breastmilk
Combining working and nursing All expectant and new mothers are welcome to pre-register for this FREE webinar and will have the opportunity to submit questions during the class.
Register Now - It's free! http://isismaternity.web3.hubspot.com/isis-parenting-pump-talk-webinar-registration/
Whether you are preparing to return to work or just thinking about expressing your breastmilk for an occasional bottle, this class will help you get started. Led by an experienced Board Certified Lactation Consultant, this interactive live webinar covers all the FAQs expecting and new moms want to know about pumping, introducing a bottle or returning to work.
Topics covered include:
*Establishing and maintaining a full milk supply
*Introducing a bottle
*Breastpump options and accessories
*Tips and techniques for milk expression
*Safe storage of breastmilk
Combining working and nursing All expectant and new mothers are welcome to pre-register for this FREE webinar and will have the opportunity to submit questions during the class.
Register Now - It's free! http://isismaternity.web3.hubspot.com/isis-parenting-pump-talk-webinar-registration/
Apr 19, 2011
Warning: products containing benzocaine, an ingredient used to reduce pain in the mouth and gums.
FDA Drug Safety Communication: Reports of a rare, but serious and potentially fatal adverse effect with the use of over-the-counter (OTC) benzocaine gels and liquids applied to the gums or mouth.
"On April 7, 2011, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned the public about the use of over-the-counter (OTC) products containing benzocaine, an ingredient used to reduce pain in the mouth and gums. Benzocaine use may cause a rare, but serious condition where the amount of oxygen that can be carried through the blood stream is greatly reduced. This condition is called methemoglobinemia. FDA is particularly concerned about the use of OTC benzocaine products in children for relief of pain from teething because of the serious outcomes, including death, that may be associated with methemoglobinemia, as well as the difficulty parents or consumers may have in recognizing the signs and symptoms of methemoglobinemia when using these products at home. Furthermore, symptoms of methemoglobinemia may not always be evident or attributed to the condition.
Parents and caregivers should not use OTC benzocaine products on children under two years of age, except under the advice and supervision of a healthcare professional. If benzocaine products are used, it should be used sparingly and only when needed, but not more than four times a day.
Below is some additional information about benzocaine, methemoglobinemia, and steps consumers can take if they have or recognize an adverse reaction after using an OTC product containing benzocaine."
List of OTC Benzocaine Products
Americaine
Dent’s Maxi-Strength Toothache
Orajel Medicated Toothache
Americaine Hemorrhoidal
Dermoplast Antibacterial
Orajel Mouth Sore
Anbesol
Dermoplast Painrelieving
Orajel Multi-Action Cold Sore
Anbesol Baby
Detane
Orajel PM
Anbesol Cold Sore Therapy
Dry Socket Remedy
Orajel Ultra Mouth Sore
Anbesol Jr.
Exactacain
Oticaine
Anbesol Maximum Strength
Foille
Otocain
Baby Orajel
Freez Eez
Outgro
Banadyne
HDA Toothache
Red Cross Canker Sore
Benzocaine Burn Spray
Hurricaine
Rid-A-Pain Dental Drops
Benzodent
Ivy-Rid
Skeeter Stik
Boil Ease Maximum Strength
Kanka Soft Brush
Sting-Kill
Cepacol Sore Throat
Lanacane
Tanac
Cetacaine
Lanacane Maximum Strength
Thorets
Chiggerex
Mycinettes
Topicale Xtra
Chiggertox
Navogan
Trocaine
Comfort Caine
Orabase with Benzocaine
Walgreens Oral Anesthetic Paste
Dentapaine
Orajel Denture Plus
Walgreens Zilactin-B
Dent’s Extra Strength Toothache
Orajel Maximum Strength
Zilactin Toothache and Gum Pain
Here are some some: Questions & Answers: Reports of a rare, but serious and potentially fatal adverse effect with the use of over-the-counter (OTC) benzocaine gels and liquids applied to the gums or mouth
"On April 7, 2011, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned the public about the use of over-the-counter (OTC) products containing benzocaine, an ingredient used to reduce pain in the mouth and gums. Benzocaine use may cause a rare, but serious condition where the amount of oxygen that can be carried through the blood stream is greatly reduced. This condition is called methemoglobinemia. FDA is particularly concerned about the use of OTC benzocaine products in children for relief of pain from teething because of the serious outcomes, including death, that may be associated with methemoglobinemia, as well as the difficulty parents or consumers may have in recognizing the signs and symptoms of methemoglobinemia when using these products at home. Furthermore, symptoms of methemoglobinemia may not always be evident or attributed to the condition.
Parents and caregivers should not use OTC benzocaine products on children under two years of age, except under the advice and supervision of a healthcare professional. If benzocaine products are used, it should be used sparingly and only when needed, but not more than four times a day.
Below is some additional information about benzocaine, methemoglobinemia, and steps consumers can take if they have or recognize an adverse reaction after using an OTC product containing benzocaine."
List of OTC Benzocaine Products
Americaine
Dent’s Maxi-Strength Toothache
Orajel Medicated Toothache
Americaine Hemorrhoidal
Dermoplast Antibacterial
Orajel Mouth Sore
Anbesol
Dermoplast Painrelieving
Orajel Multi-Action Cold Sore
Anbesol Baby
Detane
Orajel PM
Anbesol Cold Sore Therapy
Dry Socket Remedy
Orajel Ultra Mouth Sore
Anbesol Jr.
Exactacain
Oticaine
Anbesol Maximum Strength
Foille
Otocain
Baby Orajel
Freez Eez
Outgro
Banadyne
HDA Toothache
Red Cross Canker Sore
Benzocaine Burn Spray
Hurricaine
Rid-A-Pain Dental Drops
Benzodent
Ivy-Rid
Skeeter Stik
Boil Ease Maximum Strength
Kanka Soft Brush
Sting-Kill
Cepacol Sore Throat
Lanacane
Tanac
Cetacaine
Lanacane Maximum Strength
Thorets
Chiggerex
Mycinettes
Topicale Xtra
Chiggertox
Navogan
Trocaine
Comfort Caine
Orabase with Benzocaine
Walgreens Oral Anesthetic Paste
Dentapaine
Orajel Denture Plus
Walgreens Zilactin-B
Dent’s Extra Strength Toothache
Orajel Maximum Strength
Zilactin Toothache and Gum Pain
Here are some some: Questions & Answers: Reports of a rare, but serious and potentially fatal adverse effect with the use of over-the-counter (OTC) benzocaine gels and liquids applied to the gums or mouth
Apr 18, 2011
Midwives Diner
The first in a series of short films from the WMM team, to promote midwives and the amazing care they provide. Enjoy!!!
Feb 1, 2011
LIFE ON THE EDGE II: GRACE UNDER FIRE
This film follows Dr Grace Kodindo an Obstetrician known across the world for her fight to stop women dying unnecessarily in pregnancy and childbirth. She is a leading advocate of reproductive health care and rights, as she explores what help is available for the people affected by ongoing bloody conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Jan 25, 2011
Nov 15, 2010
Throwing out the lies with the birth water.
A 1 hour documentary about birth and upcoming legislation in Australia that will threaten basic human rights. This is the story of a woman who chooses to birth at home. We see the network of community in the Blue Mountains that surrounds her before during and after her birth. We see what is at stake. Woman's choice.
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