Halfway through painting the trim.
There have been big changes going on lately in the Gladwin family. We have officially moved into our new house! (post about that coming soon!) This house has been a dream or ours for many years. Over the last 3 years we have put innumerable hours into dreaming up, designing, hiring, firing, redesigning and building this amazing house that we will live in for the rest of our lives. He absolutely loves this hat.
During this time, we also got pregnant and had a baby! Zachary is an awesome, almost-2-year-old. He’s full of wonder, too smart for his own good (and mine for that matter) and frankly, a handful.
We have always said we would have 2 kids, for a number of reasons. The most important to me being that I have always felt like that would feel like a complete family to me. I grew up with 3 little siblings, and while I love them all and wouldn’t change a thing, I also think that I would have a very hard time giving as much attention as I would want to 4 children. One has always felt lonely.
Now, I have to admit, I’m not so sure. Can we just have one and feel like a complete family? We do, though there has always been the expectation of another soon. Will I always want another baby? Even if I have another one, will I still always want yet another baby? I have plenty of friends who are very happy with the number of kids they have, yet still long for a newborn, and another chance to experience the magic that comes with all the ‘firsts’ of a new life.
I had a difficult postpartum period, Zachary was great and healthy, I was physically healing well. Out for a walk. Zachary really loves to be walked to sleep on my back. Outside walks always work faster, and he sleeps longer.
Mentally, I was a mess. It took me almost a year to realize I was dealing with postpartum depression. I didn’t realize that spring and summer had happened and that we could venture outside until mid-June. Zero sex drive. Attending births was too scary. I couldn’t remember the last time I had belly-laughed. I started several treatment routes, and began to feel more human by September. The last 10 months have been hard, lots of uprooting and shifting ground, but I have for the most part been able to stay even-keeled and emotionally healthy.
Now, here we are, at the time when we always imagined trying for number 2, and I feel like we JUST got a hold on real life. So, do we just go for it, know it will be amazing, and life changing – again? Or, do we hold off, wait for things to settle further (will they ever settle?) and then have the conversation again? I’ll let you know where we land. We had great help through the whole build! Friends and family help us move in on building day.
It’s been a long time since I’ve done any sort of updating here, and a lot has changed in my life.
I was living my dream of doula-ing full-time taking 3-4 clients per month, and loving life. When I thought things couldn’t get much better, my husband and I found out we were going to be welcoming a new little soul into the world in August 2013. Winter, Spring, and Summer were full of birth energy, both from my clients ( I attended 21 births during the first 2 trimesters!) and my own.
All the families I got to work with were wonderful, and the babies are, of course, amazing. What a fun time. I stopped attending births as I entered into my third trimester. This was due to my growing belly making physical support harder, but also to start to move my birthing energy and knowledge inward. To have some time to reflect on my own pregnancy and focus on my own little one.
After Zachary was born, I tried to jump right in again into doula work. Leaving my baby proved too anxiety producing, so after a few difficult months of back and forth, I decided to step back and take some real time off with my new family. While I did support a few repeat families, (which is so amazing!!) my summer was relaxing and spent doing a lot of self reflecting and working on myself. he’s amazing!my family
What did I learn? I learned that I absolutely love being a mother! I learned that being a stay at home mom is very challenging, lonely at times, and the most rewarding thing I have ever done. I also learned that I LOVE doula work and birth work way too much to stay away for long. Supporting families as they welcome a new member into their arms is something that will continue to be my calling for the rest of my life. Having the honor of being present for these transformative moments is something I am eternally grateful for. I hope I continue to learn and grow as families trust me to hold their space.
Thank you to all of the families who have allowed me to support them over these past 3+ years. I will forever hold each of your families in my heart! Love, Katy
This post was written by Courtney Blake, a local Placenta Encapsulator, mother, student, and friend. Thank you so much for contributing to the Sacred Roots Community!
Greetings! I would like to tell you about my experience with Placenta Encapsulation. I have had a very pleasant post-partum period and believe that choosing to consume my placenta via Placenta Encapsulation is a very big reason why.
It really does make sense when I think about it!
The placenta grows as the baby grows and it holds all kinds of hormones and nutrients. Where do those nutrients go after my baby is born? Well, usually the placenta is discarded or used for medical experimentation. I chose to take my placenta home and send it off for encapsulation.
My older Sister had her placenta encapsulated and encouraged me to look in to it. Our mother had terrible post-partum depression with her last pregnancy (me) and my Sister wanted to try consuming her placenta as a means of avoiding post-partum depression. Because she claimed that it worked and she was glad that she consumed her placenta, I took the steps to have mine encapsulated as well.
After doing some research, I also discovered that placenta consumption could help to prevent excessive bleeding, iron-loss, help my uterus shrink back to its normal size, increase energy, help with insomnia, and help with milk production. Why isn’t everyone doing this? I was sold! Placenta Capsules
I did my research, contacted a somewhat-local encapsulator and spoke with my Midwives about it at several appointments. Because I was having a hospital birth, I knew that I would have to address the hospital staff as well. When I went in to have my baby, I made sure to show my birth plan to all of the hospital staff and I even attached a separate “Placenta Plan”, that basically requested that no chemicals be put on my placenta and that is was promptly put on ice and saved for me (cord and all).
I brought my own little cooler to the hospital and arranged for my Dad to take it home and then overnight it to the encapsulator for me.
The encapsulator received my overnighted placenta, encapsulated it using the Tradtional Chinese Method and shipped my pills to me within a few days.
I figured that the capsules would help me, but I had no idea to what extent. I was skeptical, but hopeful. I took my first dose and didn’t feel a whole lot different. But after my second and third doses, I could tell that they were actually helping.
After I had Alice, I had this “cry hour”. Well actually it was a “cry three hours”. I would weep from about 5p-8p nightly, until the placenta capsules arrived. Then I noticed that my “cry hour” went away, I had more energy and was actually, truly enjoying being a new Mama.
I was so grateful. I took the capsules for about three weeks regularly and then tapered off to when I felt I needed an emotional boost. I still have some left (my placenta was huge and yielded an unusually large amount of capsules) and I still take them for those occasional, “raw” emotional days. They never fail to help.
I want to share this with all the women I possibly can because I believe that placenta consumption truly does help women in so many ways.
Many mammals (cats and dogs) do it, and yes there is argument that they only do it to keep the birthing area clean, but the hormonal aspect and replenishing the body right away with what is just lost makes complete sense to me.
I have become so passionate about placenta consumption that I have started helping women consume their own placenta by becoming a placenta encapsulator myself. For more information seemy page.
I’m sure my mother felt something while I was in the womb that told her I was going to be the first person on the dance floor at a wedding. Its in my blood and something I have to do. I know there are many others like me out there because I see you on the dance floor next to me or standing around tapping your feet waiting for the right time to bust a move.
When I became pregnant late last year, I was concerned about what physical limitations may be put on me and how it would effect my ability to shake a tail feather. Through education, research and advice from fellow doulas and friends in the community, I worked to develop my own dance class for pregnant and postpartum women based off of Dancing for Birth.
Dance For Birth Class
Through my Dance for Birth class I was able to remain active, become stronger, more agile, more at ease with my body, and both mentally and physically ready to embrace my unique birth experience. I combined birth dancing movements inspired by ancient dance forms such as Belly dance, African dance, Latin dance, and Caribbean dance. It’s a workout that challenges yet relaxes and uplifts you.
Since the birth of my son, I have continued to use the Dance for Birth movements to calm and soothe him. Its amazing how quickly he settles once I begin the movements he felt for months in the womb. He also participates with me in a wrap/sling while I teach class. Its a wonderful bond we have through dance. I will still be the first one on the dance floor pregnant or postpartum with my son…watch out!
For more information on Khaylen’s Dance for Birth class or to sign up, please visit hygeiacenter.org
Winter Session starts November 14th. Classes meet every Wednesday from 6-7:30pm
I am a Doula! I have been working very hard to learn about birth, labor support,
postpartum and prenatal support. I have been educating myself about marketing locally. I have been working really hard to get my name out there and make this dream of mine work. AND IT IS WORKING! I just love this job! It is amazingly rewarding and inspirational.
Watching new moms hold their babies for the first time, looking into their eyes, discovering what sex their child is, is the most amazing thing to be a part of. This is my job. I am a doula!
Love, Katy
