Bloom Spokane Blog
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 [...]
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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 [...]
Preparing for Pregnancy
December 20, 2011
Someone asked me the other day how many planned pregnancies I see, versus surprise pregnancies. It’s hard to say, because by the time I see pregnant moms, they are just excited to be pregnant! If you are trying to get pregnant, or are getting ready to try, there are some things you can do to [...]
A Job Opportunity for Area Midwives
December 17, 2011
Denise Midstokke CPM, recently contacted Bloom to let us know of a job opening at her beautiful birth center in Sandpoint, ID. We don’t have a classified section on our website, perhaps this is something that we will develop in the future, but we still wanted to share this opportunity with our readers. Denise says: [...]
Baby Brezza One Step Baby Food Maker Giveaway
December 14, 2011
Baby Brezza is giving away a One Step Food Maker to one of Bloom Spokane’s readers as part of the Fresh Produce Sweepstakes. Leave a comment on this post telling us how Bloom Spokane has positively affected you and your family. Include your email and you will be entered to win. See other options for extra entries in the form below. Good luck! [...]
Why I Chose a Home Birth
December 6, 2011
I never imagined myself having a baby at home. In fact, I was pretty sure home birth was something only hippies did. However, it turns out home birth is on the rise and there are many reasons to give birth safely at home. After the birth of my daughter, which was a wonderful hospital birth, [...]
Delivering a Baby: Just as Easy as Catching a Ball but Way Scarier
November 30, 2011
We had planned on our second son being born at a home with an experienced midwife, and a friend to babysit our firstborn (18 months at the time of the birth). But the best laid plans being what they are, I had the joy of delivering our new baby while our older son watched Blue’s Clues [...]
Why I Chose a Hospital Birth
November 14, 2011
When I was pregnant for the first time I thought long and hard about my birth location. With so many hospitals, birth centers, and home-birth midwives to choose from in the Spokane area it was no easy task. In the end I decided to birth my son “the old fashioned way” (vs the VERY old [...]
Herbs for Pregnancy and Postpartum Class
November 10, 2011
Local herbalist and Bloom Spokane professional member Sarah Patterson is offering a new class for pregnant and postpartum women to learn about safely using herbs to treat common pregnancy-related issues. What an awesome new resource for our community!
Class is on November 16th from 6:30 – 8:30pm at the New Moon Family Wellness Center in Spokane. Cost is $10.
Be a Bloom Spokane Volunteer
November 4, 2011
We recently put up a blog post announcing our need for new Bloom Leaders. Many of you may have read it and thought, “Yes! I am passionate about childbirth! And yes, I am excited and inspired about the work Bloom Spokane is doing in our community! But I just don’t have the time to commit to becoming a leader!” Never fear, because we are also in need of Bloom Volunteers. [...]
Bloom Spokane is Seeking a New Co-Leader
October 19, 2011
Are you passionate about childbirth? Are you inspired and excited about the work Bloom Spokane is doing in our community? If your answer is “Yes!”, you might be a great fit for the new leadership position opening up within our organization.
Bloom Spokane has grown a lot over the last year and we are expanding our programs to serve childbearing families and birth professionals in the Inland Northwest. To support the needs of our growing organization, we are seeking a passionate and hard-working person to serve as a volunteer co-leader alongside current leaders: Courtney Clark, Aly Knudsen, Tine Reese and Xyina Weaver. [...]
Reintroducing Lamaze Childbirth Classes to Spokane
September 14, 2011
Lamaze International turned 50 years old. That’s 50 years of educating, supporting, advocating and teaching a whole generation of families during the childbearing years. My mother took Lamaze classes 30 years ago as many of your parents did as well. For me, I did not have the option of taking a Lamaze class as none were offered here in Spokane. So, last year as a newly certified Lamaze educator, I began offing theses classes and would like to reintroduce Lamaze back into our community.
This last year of starting my own childbirth business, with teaching classes as well as labor and breastfeeding support, I have been privileged to connect with over 60 families in Spokane. Some of these families were first-time parents, some were seeking out VBAC (Vaginal Birth After Cesarean) classes, and many wanted information on home birth and hospital options. Just as they have in the past, Lamaze classes can still give you the most up-to-date, tried-and-true birth preparation skills and information.[...]
Finding Friends & Support as a New Mother
September 11, 2011
We live in a world where families are separated by distance: some are voluntary, some are not. Some distances are small; some distances are thousands and thousands of miles. Whatever the case may be, you don’t realize how far the distance is until you have a child in a town where you don’t know very many people….and realize you are all alone.
I am no different. I grew up in New Jersey, and that is where my entire family still lives. Seven years ago, I moved to California (to have some youthful fun in the sun ☺ ), and I never really thought about whether I would stay 3,000 miles away from my family and friends, or if I would go back. Soon after I moved there, however, the choice was made for me when I met the man who would be my husband. After three years there, we moved here to Spokane and two and half years later I was pregnant. [...]
What is “Orgasmic Birth”?
No doubt, the feature film of Bloom Spokane’s upcoming 2011 BIRTH! Film Festival has some of you wondering, “Orgasmic Birth? What kind of film festival is this?” It’s one you definitely SHOULD NOT MISS!
I’ve had a DVD copy of the film Orgasmic Birth sitting on the kitchen counter in my house for the past week and it has raised more than a few eyebrows of those who have passed through—my husband’s included. I knew that we had viewed scenes from this movie during the HypnoBirthing class we took in San Francisco over 4 years ago now, but I had never sat down and watched the full-length movie until tonight. I was blown away by the births represented in this film and you will be too.
Pregnant With Twins? Now What?
August 10, 2011
Being pregnant with twins is hard. It’s hard on your body and your mind. During my twin pregnancy, I found it to be most difficult mentally (once the puking stopped around week 15 anyway). The medical establishment, and therefore most people, expects a woman pregnant with twins to have an elective cesarean section around week 38. This is not what I wanted, so I spent a lot of time researching my options. I am also a birth doula, so I went into pregnancy with a lot of knowledge.
The first thing to remember with any pregnancy is that you MUST be flexible. I wanted a natural, unmedicated birth. I did not get that. I spent my time finding a doctor who was supportive of the birth that I wanted, but he did lay out some guidelines. [...]
Birth Professionals Forum Tackles Breastfeeding
August 5, 2011
Last week was our summer Birth Professionals Forum—a quarterly meeting of birth professionals from across the region tackling our most pressing maternity care issues. The topic this quarter was breastfeeding and how to better support breastfeeding women in our community. In a room full of midwives, doulas, lactation cosultants, La Leche League leaders and WIC representatives we came up with several great ideas.
As part of this effort, Bloom Spokane created the Breastfeeding Resources Flyer which contains all of our local breastfeeding support professionals, classes, organizations and support groups. You are encouraged to print out as many copies as you’d like to hand out to friends, clients, patients or anyone else who might need support.[...]
Celebrate World Breastfeeding Week in Spokane & CDA
July 28, 2011
World Breastfeeding Week is August 1-7, 2011. It is an event celebrated in more than 170 countries worldwide…and here in our region! Join Bloom Spokane and many other local organizations as we gather at these events to learn about breastfeeding, educate our communities and support mothers. Please help spread the word about these local events by linking to this post from your blog, Facebook page or in an email to your friends. Let’s make this the biggest turnout yet for World Breastfeeding Week in Spokane & Coeur d’Alene!
I’ll Take a Doula and an Epidural
June 30, 2011
JUNE 30, 2011
I’m planning on having an epidural. How will a doula benefit me?
If you’re planning on having an epidural for your upcoming birth (after weighing the risks and benefits and making an informed decision) you may be wondering how a doula can help you.
A doula can help you stay relaxed and comfortable at home during early labor, assisting you and your birthing companions and helping everyone to remain confident and calm. She can help with position changes, give reminders to eat, drink, use the bathroom and make suggestions for comfort measures that will help throughout your birth.
We know that birthing is an intimate event. By remaining at home in early labor you increase the effectiveness of your labor as you are better able to relax in your environment. Many women—especially first time moms—say they are able to calmly labor at home for much longer than they would have without a doula’s support. This may allow for interventions to be avoided and result in a quicker, more effective labor. [...]
