Simply Life

Our Simple Raw Life...A Natural Journey Of Creation

Friday, March 16, 2012

First Visit With A Midwife

I finally got myself to go visit a midwife this week. I wasn't sure about seeing one this early, I'm 13 weeks and I feel great. I know that sometimes medical professionals, even midwives can discuss information to their clients and it can create some fear thinking.  I do believe that I am becoming so strong in my mind that it is hard to penetrate these perceptions about pregnancy and birth to me anymore but I almost didn't even want to take any chance. JJ talked me into going to see the BEST midwives in the country who truly practice the same mindset about birth as I, so I made an appointment.

We drove an hour and half to "The Farm" in middle Tennessee. Now The Farm has been around since 1971. It was started by some California hippies who wanted to start a new community living off the land and working together in a new conscious environment. It has about 200 members who live on about 2,000 acres. They run their little community on solar panels. They have a store, a school, a medical clinic with a very popular midwifery school, a huge garden that produces their own soy production company, they even have many other small business that help bring in their revenue.
They have delivered 2,200 babies naturally.  Some breech, twins, etc.

Ina May Gaskin and Pamela Hunt started the midwifery clinic. Ina May Gaskin has written many wonderful and incredibly helpful books on childbirth and breastfeeding that every pregnant woman should read. She is the Gospel when it comes to natural birth. Ina May is so busy that I was only able to meet with Pamela.

I was instantly impressed with her curvy old figure and her long grey hair parted right down the middle and pulled into a low slung bun. She took me in the clinic. It had black and white photos of naked, birthing women all over the walls, beautiful! JJ and I sat on a cozy couch and we talked like friends about my pregnancy. She gave me the basics of a healthy pregnancy and then asked me about my diet. We discussed my diet and she was very proud of how I was eating.  Here is some things she said to continue doing.
-eating green smoothies with kale, spinach, fruit, bee pollen, chia seeds, spirulina, wheat grass powder, and flax seeds. 
-eat protein 3 times a day the size of my fist.  Being a vegetarian, beans, tempeh, eggs, and I occationally eat fish. All which are PERFECT!
-eat good fats, cook everything in olive oil, have avocadoes, nuts, lowfat cottage cheese is good and kefir yogurt but AVOID other dairy, especially milk and butter products because these create LARGE babies. I don't drink milk, I use almond or coconut milk, I don't use butter so no worries there. 
-yoga and meditation are ideal and I do those both almost everyday, sometimes I start practicing yoga and then I end up meditating for the entire hour.
-take 1200mg of calcium daily, 600 mg magnesium daily, and 2000 units of vitamin D daily, Prenatal pills simply don't give enough of those.
-drinking herbal tea of raspberry leaf, dandelion, and nettle is very safe.
-take naps and relax whenever my body asks me to...no problem there, I love relaxing!!


After the visit she walked JJ and I around the grounds to some of the cabins that we could stay and birth in if we decide to birth with them. We aren't sure where we will birth yet, depending on our home (if we have one at that time) I want to birth at home. If we are in limbo I will birth in a cabin on The Farm.

What a great experience. I am so thrilled that I was so close to this magical place. After the appointment we went to the cafe and had organic, vegan chili and tea. MMM MMM GOOD!
~t

2 comments:

  1. Oh my, I'm so jealous! HOW COOL! I would love to go to the farm! I love love love her books!

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  2. I wish I would have been close enough to birth at the farm. I've heard amazing things from other people. Congratulations on the little one! You're going to be an amazing mother!

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