Bellies and Babies and Blessingways, Oh My!

BelliesBabiesBlessingwaysBreastsBodiesBreathingBirth!
How lovely they all are!

Here is a sweet give-away and an awesome Birthing website for that special Mama and Babe-to-be. Please take a few moments to look around Nicole's blog.

I experienced one of my first blessingways in a little cabin in the woods...just up the hill from where I live. The cabin was just abounding with love! The wisdom from the elders encircled the cabin with the new mama and baby tucked safely inside. We sang together, songs passed on from mama to mama weaving in new traditions with the old. We pampered the mama with full body massages and foot soaks. We honored the elements and the four directions. We shared words of birth and encouragement with the mama and babe to "help them on their way".

Much was learned that day. So much, that I knew right then that I wanted to have this experience myself and to help share it with others. That is also around the time when I met Ellen - the local midwife from Tree of Life Midwifery Care. Ellen's business is all about families and babies and she took me in under her wing.

I have been attending births with Ellen ever since my daughter, Kiah was in my belly back in 2000 (nine years!). Ellen, midwife for over 25 years, and I teamed up together to attend homebirths (including the birth of my two children) in the community and surrounding area. The births weren't many...but we liked it that way because of the way we lived. Both Ellen and I have cabins that are tucked away in the woods a few miles back...she in the Mulligan Plains and I near the Yellow Dog River. We live off the grid, off the beaten path.

Births were so few and far between, that it surely could not foot the bill for a family of four and we had no desire to be away from our little cabin in the woods...so we came to a point where we had to figure out a way to work and still be at home. With the wisdom our younger elder (young body, old soul), Queen Kiah, we found a way to make a living and to also be at home, (however, this could all change for us in the near future...see handmadetoyalliance.org. In 2006 my family and I created BirchLeaf Designs (see our website here) where we started making playthings for children and adults - we also have goods for new mamas and babes like newborn tiedyes, little belly button cord stump pouches, star and snuggle babies, wooden teething rings and wee little spoons. Along with Tree of Life Midwifery Care, we also make the much coveted Mama Bath and Mama Tea.

My children are older now which makes it easier to attend more births...Today, Ellen and I are on call for 6 womyn, 4 of them due within a day of each other! Yay for Homebirths!