Archive for pregnancy
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.
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Pregnant With Twins? Now What?
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. [...]
We Need Your Birth Photos
Bloom Spokane is about to produce it’s first promotional video that will be used as a PSA (Public Service Announcement) on our website and other local media outlets, including TV. Our aim is to reach a wide audience of childbearing families in the Spokane/CDA region and encourage them to use our amazing, free resources. And we know that video is the way to do it.
Corner Booth Media, a Spokane video and film production company, has graciously offered to create a professionally-produced video that will tell the story about our organization and the families we have impacted. They do amazing work. Have you seen the “STCU is Me” ad campaign? These guys know how to tell a story!
Spokane Midwives Birth Center
MARCH 23
As Bloom Spokane works to educate our community about mother-friendly birth options, we encounter parents who are surprised to discover that Spokane has a freestanding birth center—an independently owned and operated (non-hospital affiliated) facility run by midwives who provide prenatal, childbirth and postnatal care, incorporating family-centered maternity care concepts and practices.
Spokane Midwives is the private practice of Washington State licensed midwives Beth Morrill and Linda Morgan located just north of downtown Spokane at 127 East Euclid Street. The birth center provides a comfortable, home-like environment where families attend their prenatal appointments and can choose to give birth. Spokane Midwives’ patients are also cared for by the two student midwives in training at the birth center—Terri Young and Amber Morrill assist in prenatal checkups and attend births with the midwives while preparing to become licensed midwives themselves. [...]
Spokane Baby Fair 2011
MARCH 14, 2011
There is power in numbers! Bloom Spokane and our fabulous group of exhibitors made a powerful statement at yesterday’s Baby Fair. Our group of 15 mother-friendly organizations and providers occupied quite a large section of the event and no one there could deny that the Spokane region is home to a wealth of information and services dedicated to helping women realize their full potential during the childbearing year. [...]
Bloom Spokane at Baby Fair 2011
MARCH 8, 2011
This coming Sunday, March 13, Bloom Spokane will host an entire section of mother- and baby-friendly exhibitors at Baby Fair 2011. We will be there to support, encourage, and educate childbearing families by promoting mother-friendly maternity care, encouraging informed health care decisions, and striving to improve our community’s birth culture. We will also have fantastic giveaway prizes you don’t want to miss out on! [...]
New Prenatal Water Aerobics Class in Spokane
MARCH 1, 2011
We are excited to announce that The Fitness Center in Spokane, WA is about to introduce a new Pre- and Post-natal Water Aerobics class. Bloom Spokane has received many requests over the past few years from pregnant mamas looking for prenatal water fitness classes, but up until now there wasn’t a centrally-located or regularly-occurring class to recommend. Jeannine Hansen is the prenatal water aerobics instructor at The Fitness Center. She wanted to share this information about her class and invite you to check it out. [...]
Your Patient Rights in Labor & Delivery
FEBRUARY 22, 2011
Bloom Spokane is thrilled to announce that our last blog article, “Birth Advice From Labor & Delivery Nurses,” went viral on Facebook and brought the most web traffic ever to our site. Typically, we have a mostly local audience and this latest article marks the first time we’ve had a large national audience on our blog. We are grateful to everyone who found the article worthy of their attention and participated in the conversation.
In response to the article we received a lot of positive feedback…and one BIG, RESOUNDING message from our readers about their displeasure with how patient rights and hospital standards of practice were portrayed in the article. Many were outraged that the nurses interviewed said that some hospital protocols are “non-negotiable” and pointed out that all patients have the right to informed consent/refusal. Bloom Spokane absolutely supports a woman’s right to make informed decisions about her pregnancy and birth options and advocates evidence-based, mother-friendly care as defined by the Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative (MFCI). We should have qualified this point in the interview and expanded on the topic of informed consent when the article was originally published. We would like to take this opportunity to address our readers’ concerns and set the record straight about what your patient rights are when you enter the hospital to have your baby. [...]
Birth Advice from Labor & Delivery Nurses
FEBRUARY 18, 2011
In the U.S., approximately 90% of women give birth in hospitals. It is the cultural “norm” in this country and the birth setting where most parents feel comfortable. However, the latest studies point to an unnecessary overuse of technology during pregnancy and birth. As Jennifer Block writes in Pushed, “Decades of research show that the healthiest birth for you and your baby — and that means your partner, your family, and your community — is a normal, vaginal birth with minimal intervention and maximum support.” [...]
Eco Baby Fair at Sun People Dry Goods
JANUARY 26, 2011
If you haven’t been to Sun People Dry Goods yet—or even if you have—Saturday February 5th is a great day to go. Sun People Dry Goods, a locally owned and one-of-a-kind store, carries eco-smart products from hardware, to gifts, to cleaning products, and even nursery supplies. On Saturday February 5th they will be holding their Eco Baby Fair from 10am until 3pm. In addition, during the Eco Baby Fair the store will be having a sale of 20% off the entire baby department! [...]
