Bloom Spokane Blog
Bloom Needs Volunteers!!
May 17, 2012
Have you had the chance to look at our 2011 Annual Report yet? It was our first year as a non-profit and I’m still in shock at how much we accomplished! 2012 is gearing up to be even bigger, and better. But it’s a bit much for 5 moms to accomplish all on our own. Which is [...]
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From Plain Jane to Hypobirthing Henna Mom
May 13, 2012
Before I had kids, I was Plain Jane, or at least I tried to be. I pretty much went with the flow and landed in the middle when it came to most things. Being the middle sister, I had lots of experience with this. I was a good girl (mostly), generally main stream and I [...]
Embrace Your Mommy Brain
May 9, 2012
It often starts in pregnancy, the sudden inability to remember names, appointments and other details of daily life. You may find yourself struggling to remember the word for toothpaste or that your favorite show is on every Wednesday. This can leave you feeling unsettled and frustrated. You may wonder where you left your brain and [...]
Local Breastfeeding Resources Guide (Spring 2012)
May 3, 2012
We have just updated our Local Breastfeeding Resources Guide to reflect the current support groups, classes, hospital lactation offices and private consultants available in the Spokane/CDA region. Click the image below to download a PDF version of this 2-page flyer. We encourage you to distribute it freely to your clients, patients and friends.
We update this document about every 6 months to keep it current and include professionals new to our area or to the field of breastfeeding support. If you’d like to be added to this flyer, please contact us.
Blooms for Bloom Fundraiser at aNeMonE
April 30, 2012
Buy your Mother’s Day flowers at Anemone–Handmade Paper Flowers, and 15% of your purchase will go to Bloom Spokane’s Scholarship Fund!
Remember to tell them Bloom sent you, and 15% of the purchase will go to our Scholarship Fund.
Emotional Freedom Techniques
April 25, 2012
Emotional Freedom Techniques also referred to, as EFT or “tapping” is a transformational therapy. It is part of the family of healing modalities referred to as Energy Medicine and Energy Psychology. EFT is a tool that is used to resolve or improve any physical or emotional issue, destructive thought pattern or form of self-sabotaging behavior. [...]
Doulas: Your Maid of Honor for Birth
April 20, 2012
Who is your maid of honor? Your maid of honor is someone who knows your story. She’s someone who understands the importance of your relationship and the event that will set the stage for your marriage. You ask her to take part in your wedding because you know she’ll support you. You know that she’ll [...]
New Bill Opens Opportunities for Local Midwives and Nurses
April 12, 2012
Last month House Bill 2186 was signed into law with flying colors, passed by the House of Representatives on a 95-0 vote, and the Senate on a 49-0 vote. This new law will allow nurses for the first time to coordinate with and work at the direction of licensed midwives in our state. Rep. Barbara Bailey, who [...]
A New Generation of Nurses
April 6, 2012
When I started nursing school, I had no idea that I would one day want to become an obstetrics nurse. The limited experience that I had with OB revolved around the fact that my mother had natural births with my two siblings and myself. She calls herself “pioneer woman” because of this, and at first, [...]
Planning a Day To Remember
March 28, 2012
People spend years imagining their weddings. Months go into planning every detail. We invest our time, money, and energy because this will be an event to remember for a lifetime. We don’t often think of it in the same way, but our child’s birth is also an event that you will remember forever. It makes [...]
Birth Professionalism Forum Takes on Breech Babies
March 21, 2012
Late last year our Birth Professionals Forum- a quarterly meeting of local birth professionals discussing our most pressing maternity care issues- took on the topic of breech birth. We discovered that your options to give a vaginal breech birth in Spokane are very limited. But there were many techniques mentioned and explained that had great [...]
Fear and Birth
March 12, 2012
“Worrying is using your imagination to create something you don’t want” We all have fears about birth, it’s only natural. But fear can manifest itself in many negative ways during labor: including anxiety, anger, frustration, and irrationality. It can even disrupt the birth process itself. Knowing this, it’s important for expectant parents to identify and face those fears [...]
Handling Unwanted Advice
February 27, 2012
“Help! I’m getting so frustrated with the endless stream of advice I get from my mother-in-law and brother! No matter what I do, I’m doing it wrong. I love them both, but how do I get them to stop dispensing all this unwanted advice?” Just as your baby is an important part of your life, [...]
2012 Birth & Beyond Resource Guide
February 20, 2012
Bloom Spokane has just published our first annual resource guide—the Inland Northwest’s only publication providing in-depth information and resources to local pregnant and postpartum women. It is a full-color, 32-page pocket guide that includes our Mother-Friendly Provider Directory, helpful information for parents and ads from many of our local businesses and birth professionals. It also features birth photos submitted by local families. Download a PDF of the full guide. [...]
Choosing a Maternity Care Provider
February 18, 2012
Choosing a care provider for your pregnancy and birth is the first, and often the most daunting, task in pregnancy. Here in the Spokane/CDA region we are lucky to have many wonderful options. And yet, it’s surprising how often I meet women who pick the first OB or midwife recommended to them without an interview. [...]
Cloth Diapering 101
February 10, 2012
%!@& Happens. The question for new parents . . . how do you want to deal with it!? In the “old days” you used flat cloth diapers pinned around baby’s bum and lived with the leaks, messes, bulky vinyl pants and dunking diapers in the toilet. Mothers prevailed and along came disposable diapers…a parent’s best friend. [...]
Meet Your 2012 Bloom Leaders
February 2, 2012
Introducing our newest Bloom Leader, Tyana Kelley. A mother of young twins, Tyana is very passionate about bringing better birth options to Spokane. She is a trained DONA birth doula as well as an active member in the Inland Northwest Doula Network. She will be taking charge of Bloom’s fundraising efforts, implementing her experience as [...]
Getting Enough Protein in Pregnancy as a Vegan
January 18, 2012
As a most-of-the-time vegetarian/vegan and full-time pregnant lady, I am so tired of hearing about protein. I’m dragging my feet writing about it. It seems like so much of my energy is consumed by counting protein grams every bloody moment of every bloody day. And I don’t like counting anything that I put into my [...]
If I Had Only Known…my Top 5 Pregnancy Annoyances
Before I got pregnant with my twins, I considered myself to be pretty knowledgeable about pregnancy and childbirth. I am a birth doula, and grew up with lots of pregnant women around me. So when I started experiencing things that no one had ever told me about, I was a bit peeved. Aren’t women supposed to [...]
Vegan Eating During Pregnancy
January 3, 2012
My preference for veganism has always provided me with some challenges. Now that it’s not just my body, but my baby’s, too, the challenges have revved up. I love vegan food. While I will now eat a bite of meat occasionally, or indulge in some cheese here or there, meat and dairy products don’t sit [...]
