Lying-in

"Lying -in" is the period of time when the mother and new baby are allowed to rest and bond with each other after birth.   In some South American countries it is called la quarentina, which is the forty day time period  when the mother is treated like a queen.
Generally, women were fed healthy bone broths, soups and stews to assist them  regain their strength and help with maintaining their milk supply if breastfeeding.  In the book,"Mothering the Mother" specifically explains several traditions from around the world regarding the lying-in period. Most notably from:

• Uganda
• Columbia
• Jamaica
• Korea
• Lebanon
• Myanmar
• Guatemala
• Greece

In today's modern society, women and families need postpartum doula care because the traditions of the lying -in after the postpartum period has changed over the last hundred years. Previously your mother, mother-in-law, aunts or female cousins assisted after childbirth,but now most women and families get no help or support after the third day postpartum. And that's where postpartum doulas step in!! We take over and let you have a lying in period whether it be a week or forty full days with your new baby.   If you want to learn more or schedule my postpartum doula services please contact me at ujimadoulaservices@gmail.com

Blogs

So if you're reading this that means you read or have read my blog and I'm really happy.  I had an idea of posting some blogs from doulas or other birth workers that I enjoy to read in my spare time. I've been mainly focused on reading blogs by other postpartum doulas or doulas that consider themselves full spectrum. I've compiled a listing of the blogs that I try to read on a regulat basis that might be of use to you or possibly a friend or family member.

These blogs are funny, heartwarming and educational but they have one thing in common and they are the realness of them. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. Happy reading.

1. A day at home with your postpartum doula
2. Beautiful is your Postpartum Body
3. I love tea!! Safe herbal teas for Pregnancy and Breastfeeding
4. Maternal Child Connections
5. Radical Doula

Breast is BEST!!!

What is wrong with our society?? Why is breastfeeding a problem now, when breast is the best and the most natural thing that a woman's body produces? Why has our breast become so sexualized that people take offense to seeing a mother feeding her child? There has been so much negative information in the media regarding breast feeding in public, even if a woman covers herself and the baby up and goes off to a secluded area there will be a problem.  Recently Alyssa Milano was in the media speaking to t.v. talk show host Wendy Williams about breastfeeding in public. Wendy is against breastfeeding in public and Alyssa basically set the record straight.  Here is the link to the article. Let's celebrate a natural thing!!

I breastfed my oldest son for a year and there were so many benefits to it. Besides the bonding aspect,  breastfeeding helps your uterus shrink back to it's pre-pregnant state, it will often times stop ovulationso no period, breastmilk has all the essential vitamins and nutrients needed by baby and it's totally FREE! Yes the magic word... free!! It's not $20 or $30 for a can of artifical "milk" with a bunch of chemicals that we know  nothing about or how it will affect our children in the future. I've also read a few articles about studies that show children that were breastfed were in essence smarter than their non-breastfed counterparts. That information alone would make me want to chose to breastfed my child.

I often hear reasons why a mother chooses not to breastfeed her baby. The most common ones are:

1. It hurts 
2. I don't think the baby is getting any or enough milk
3. It feels weird when the baby nurses
4. I'm embarrassed about my breasts/nipples
5. I simply don't know how to

All of these issues or causes can be remedied by a postpartum doula or a lactation consultant,  if you don't have a doula. She will guide you in the correct positioning and placement of the nipple in the baby's mouth. She will also educate you on how much milk your baby should be getting at his age and stage of development. 

Welcome 2016

Happy New Year everyone! It's 2016 and crunch time basically for me.  May is Doula Appreciation month and I will be busy finally accepting clients and hopefully doing a large amount of education within the community and inner city Cleveland.  Educating the community as well as giving back to the community is what Ujima Doula services was founded upon.

The certification process in my opoinion is more stringent than other organizations but DONA International is one of the largest and well known doula organizations online and very reputable among the birthing community. That makes me happy as well as proud to be able to have those credentials behind my name and when I introduce myself I can say that I was certified by one of the premiere organizations for birth workers that boasts thousands of birth and postpartum doulas on an international level.

So from now until March I'll continue on with the required reading, continue to network and learn all the business and marketing skills necessary, so once  May rolls around I'll be able to take clients and  have a few lined up.  The first week in March I will be traveling to New York for the three day intensive training. I'm beyone  excited about traveling and getting back into a classroom setting and even more excited to be more than seventy five percent finshed with my journey.

February 2016 I will unveil my business website and start the marketing process. I'm very lucky and blessed to have an online educational outlet so to speak because if I didn't I would be lost so a big shout out to all the postpartum doula and full spectrum doula groups that I belong to. Stay tuned folks!!

The Doula year in Review 2015

I wanted to do a blog post about my year in review. It's crazy about my plans for the year that sometimes didn't always happen.  This time last year I really thought that I would be working as a postpartum doula but because of some unforeseen circumstances I had to stop my doula education and get a regular 9-5 to pay the bills.  That initially was the BAD, in my opinion. That is really the only thing that I will consider bad regarding me beginning my journey as a Doula.

I have however had some really good things happen this year. I've really thought about a list and here it is:

• I started a group on Facebook for full spectrum doulas
• I found a local birthworkers group(doulas and midwives) that meet regularly and I've made some pretty awesome connections there.
• I've educated more people about what a doula is and how they can help their family.
• I designed a business page on Facebook for my business, Ujima Doula Services.
• I've found webinars and various podcasts associated with doula work to further educate me.
• I've been using Twitter and other social media outlets to get the word out about my business.

Placenta encapsulation: What's the big deal??

There has been talk in the news lately about placentas and placenta encapsulation.  Most recently Kim Kardashian-West decided to encapsulate her placenta after giving birth to her son.  She joins the list of celebrities who've decided to eat or encapsulate their placentas. Some other celebs who decided to eat or encapsulate their placentas are: Holly Madison, January Jones, Gaby Hoffman, Kourtney Kardashian and Mayim Bialik. But placenta encapsulation is not new and not just for celebrities. Many women choose to have their placentas encapsulated or simply eat the placenta as well.

It's a growing phenomena in the birthing community as well. There has been several evidence based studies supporting it and then of course there have been some people who are against it and who believe it's "nasty" or barbaric. Whatever you may choose I urge you to do your research and figure out what's best for you.

Some of the most common questions are what is a placenta and what is placenta encapsulation? A placenta is the organ that develops in a woman's uterus during pregnancy. The structure provides oxygen and nutrients to the growing fetus and removes waste products from it's blood. The placenta attaches to the wall of the uterus and the umbilical cord arises from it.

Placenta encapsulation is a process in which, immediately following the birth of the baby, the placenta is dehydrated and ground into a course powder, which is then placed into small capsules that look exactly like any other vitamin or supplement that can be taken.

So you might ask well why should I consider placenta encapsulation if I'm pregnant? Well, research has shown that ingesting your placenta has many benefits that include:

• The reduction or stopping of postpartum bleeding 
• Speeding up recovery
• Boost energy levels
• Relieves postpartum blues
• Aid in milk production and lactation 

The placenta contains beneficial hormones, chemicals, irons and healing substances that include:

• Estrogen, Progesterone and Testosterone
• Prolactin
• Oxtocin
• Placental-Opioid-Enhancing factor
• Thyroid stimulating hormone
• Corticotropin Releasing hormone
• Cortison
• Interferon
• Prostaglandins
• Iron
• Hemoglobin
• Human Placental Lactogen

Where are all the black birth workers???

This is a serious topic that I've contemplated so many times. When I started on my journey to become a doula I had to realize a few things. For one I'd probably be one of only a few doulas of color in my area. That really saddens me because there is such a disparity of people of color who want to do this kind of work.

I'm connected to several groups on social media and locally and a few days ago I came across this article. Where are the woman of color birth worker   It brought up several relevant topics and a few topics that no one really wants to talk about in the black community.  I am truly happy to be a part a profession that at the end of the day I can be proud that I helped a mother, her partner and her family make that transition into parenthood.

My overwhelming need to use all of my acquired skills ultimately led me to go into business for myself. When I had to think about a name for my business I had to consider what my ultimate goal would be and I realized that it was to make a difference in my local community along with the greater community of people of color.

Soon my dream will be realized and I will be apart of the birth worker community and working with families in Northeastern Ohio.