Parenting Resources Archives | Page 3 of 4

Postpartum Body Issues

September 20, 2017 by Full Circle KC

This is one of many posts to come on postpartum issues. I recently listened to a Podcast on The Longest Shortest Time. You can listen to it here:

EPISODE #28: The Missing Chapter to Ina May’s Guide

This is a great Podcast to listen to prior to giving birth, to prepare for your birth and postpartum. This Podcast speaks to those who might not of had the birth experience they had planned and experience a sense of failure. It’s a message of non judgement about the varieties of birthing journeys women experience.

Full Circle Yoga in Overland Park was founded in 2017 by yoga teacher Jenny Hellman focusing on wellness in the early stages of family life from prenatal to early parenthood and the older adult years. Full Circle Yoga KC is an Overland Yoga Studio specializing in Prenatal Yoga, Baby Yoga and Chair Yoga for seniors.

Should You Choose A Midwife?

September 13, 2017 by Full Circle KC

You don’t know what you don’t know….until you know! Pregnancy is a journey of learning and becoming aware of the many choices you have as a soon-to-be mama!

We started with a wonderful OBGYN but due to insurance we were unable to continue with her care. The silver lining was learning more about the choice of using a midwife. I was blessed to have two normal pregnancies. When my husband and I started consciously picturing how we wanted our birthing journey to look like: in the hospital, one of unmedicated vaginal birth, natural labor and delivery, as little medical intervention as possible (assuming I and baby were safe and healthy) we decided the best fit to our birthing team would be a midwife. We can’t say enough about how amazing our midwife was for the birth of our two children.

Choosing a midwife is on the rise. Midwives have a philosophy of committing with women to support and carry out chosen birth plans. We found that our midwife educated us along the way helping us create the birth plan, asking us questions we didn’t even know to ask, or encouraging us to think about things we hadn’t considered. She allowed and encouraged us to be active participants in the planning of our birthing journey.

Midwives offer a lot of support emotionally to laboring mother and family. They become your coach and look you in the eye when the tough gets tough. With a midwife you feel like you’re in it together to the finish line. The support goes beyond birth to postpartum.

Midwives offer medication-free ways to manage pain such as, laboring in a tub, sitting in a shower with water flowing down your back, changing positions, massage, birthing ball, and visualization. Midwives support the idea of continued movement in intermittent fetal monitoring during labor.

Educate yourself about your options, there’s a lot to consider when it comes to giving birth. Listen to your gut, you need to feel safe and comfortable with where you choose to have your baby and who you want on your team.

Transition Into Motherhood

August 2, 2017 by Full Circle KC

Transition Into Motherhood is

Joyous

Messy

Scary

Right of passage

Some of us thrive on transitions, others struggle with transitions. Giving birth is such a momentous moment and transition in a Woman’s life, a right of passage into Motherhood. For some, entering Motherhood is smooth, easy, and they take on the role without a hitch. For others, and probably most of us, the transition into Motherhood comes with struggles, challenges, fears as we discover new possibilities within ourselves. No matter how we deal with transitions, the reality is, Motherhood is life altering, forever. When I reflect back my transition into Motherhood I’m grateful for the wisdom I learned from others.

Be gentle with yourself: You’re new at this. As women we can be so hard on ourselves in getting it right the first time. Motherhood is a life long job that you never retire from! As with anything new it takes practice and often times finding a niche that works for you. Like with yoga, we stumble through challenging poses, yet with practice we become more graceful, more confident.
Use your support: It takes a village walking through the journey of motherhood. Connect and lean on those around you that trust in you. Allow them to walk this journey with you through supporting one another. A wise mother told me one time “say “yes” when help is offered”. Unfortunately as a society we have created this idea that motherhood is all bliss and joy. The reality is, motherhood is the hardest job we will ever have. It’s important to remember your body is going through tremendous change mentally and physically. Postpartum anxiety and depression is real for many moms. Professional support is needed when this unexpected hurdle presents itself.
Enjoy this time: For so many reasons, enjoy this time. The beginning years of motherhood happen so fast it’s hard to catch your breath sometimes. Embrace this change even during the bumps along the journey.

“In giving birth to our babies, we may find that we give birth to new possibilities within ourselves.” – Myla and Jon Kabat-Zinn

Breastfeeding Tips

July 26, 2017 by Full Circle KC

First off, I always tell my mamas I work with it, it can be HARD!!!! Be GENTLE with yourself and your little one! In our society we are primed to believe that as baby comes into the world breastfeeding “just happens.” For some, this happens, for others, such as myself, this was NOT the case.

Me breastfeeding my daughter in Muir Woods

I was committed to breastfeeding and was so grateful that a friend had warned me it may not be easy. I was VERY thankful for the kind warning when that became my reality! With my first child, breastfeeding was extremely difficult for the first several months, everything from latch, milk supply, and sore nipples. I remember one night being up late at night trying to breastfeed by daughter- me holding part of my breast while I held her, my husband holding my breast and trying to keep the nipple shield on! I remember saying “I bet you never expected to hold my breast in this fashion!” laughing and crying at the same time. It was hard emotionally and physically!

We did finger feeding with a feeding tube and syringe, used nipple shields, tried different positions to support latch and relaxation. I spelt like maple syrup with my intake of Fenugreek. I was religious about drinking a class of water right before nursing. I pumped a lot. I attended a weekly breastfeeding support group that helped me feel “normal.” The support group also reassured me my daughter was getting milk with a weigh in before and after breastfeeding. I had 1:1 lactation support.

When I look back on this experience, I’m so glad we worked through the hurdles. It was so nice to be able to connect with my daughter through breastfeeding. I felt I was supporting her health and my health at the same time knowing the benefits of breastfeeding.

For some, it’s just not possible despite trying everything. Again, I can’t stress the importance of being gentle with yourself. You and your baby will bond. You and your baby will be healthy.

Breastfeeding tips:

Be GENTLE with yourself and your little one. You’re both learning a new skill! Stressing and having anxiety reduces milk supply and baby can sense mama stress. Practice a few deep breaths, find a relaxing and supportive environment.
Find SUPPORT. Request a lactation nurse in your birth plan and ask again after baby arrives. Reach out to your local Le Leche League
Find SUPPORT. Find a support group, you are NOT alone if breastfeeding is challenging.
Find SUPPORT. Make sure you have a supportive medical team that respects your goals.
Be EDUCATED. Know that there is so much support and different methods and tools to help support breastfeeding- www.kellymom.com is a great resource.

A few resources:

www.kellymom.com
The Womanly Heart of Breastfeeding (Le Leche League International Book)
The Breastfeeding Book by Dr. Sears

5 Ways To Prepare For Labor

June 2, 2017 by Full Circle KC

The “big day” is always on our minds when we are expecting. When will it be? Will I be late or early? Will it be painful? What can I do to prepare myself for the journey?

Labor and Delivery is tough, you must prepare mentally and physically. It hurts, however the hurt is different than a broken bone. A broken bone signals to your brain something is wrong in your body and you must fix it. Labor and Delivery birth hurts in a way that’s like running a marathon. You train mentally and physically for a marathon but the final stretch can be challenging, even painful, but there is a finish line you’ve worked so hard to get across!

There are many things you can do to prepare for the “big day”

Exercise- Your body needs to be in shape and ready for labor and delivery. One of the best forms of exercise during pregnancy is prenatal yoga or pregnancy yoga, helping you prepare mentally and physically for labor and delivery by practicing breath during intense poses. Learning prenatal yoga poses allows you to release tension during pregnancy and during labor. Prenatal Yoga also allows for mediation, an opportunity to practice surrendering and being present to the moment rather than push against it.
Educate Yourself- Whether your delivering at home, hospital, birthing center, it’s so important that you be your best advocate. I once heard “you are not a patient during your birthing journey,” so true!! The more you educate yourself the less fear and anxiety you will have going into that “big day.”
Call in your support team- invite those on your team that have the same philosophy as you do when it comes to your birthing journey. Create a space of peacefulness for your birthing journey. Do you want this to be a sacred time for just you and your partner? Do you want the whole family present? Who do you want as your practitioner- OBGYN, Midwife? Will you include a doula as part of your team?
Be Present- Trust in the processes. Women have been giving birth for thousands of years. Contractions are like waves, they build and crash, and you have time in between each wave to center again and ride the next wave.
Use Visualizations- visualize something that brings calmness to you. What is that something? What color is it? What does it smell like? What does it look like? Where is it? Practice this visualization prior to labor. Practicing visualization is powerful tool in pain management.

Full Circle Yoga KC offers prenatal yoga classes that support a mother’s pregnancy journey. In our prenatal classes we practice mindfulness in breathing, bring awareness to our changing bodies, and offer movement for a full body workout.