Pandemic Life.

Well, as usual I totally neglected my blog for wayyyy too long! Well, 2020…what can i say?…. Here are some images from our pandemic life while we were still living in Dresden, Germany.

A Gorgeous Maternity Session in Pillnitz

A couple weeks ago I met Sophia (and her awesome sister who helped with the bubbles!) in the gorgeous area just outside the city of Dresden called Pillnitz, complete with the beautiful Pillnitz castle and gardens. We had 2 hours of fun and creativity. It was so amazing to see Sophia really bond with her baby during the session and just relax. It was a bit different from the sessions that I usually do with mamas to be, and I absolutely loved it. I love how she was the one who was suggesting the more creative ideas such as getting in the Elbe waters and splashing around. She was fearless and fierce with her ability to be 39 weeks pregnant and still climb trees, get in the cold water, and leap around with bubbles! Best wishes to you Sophia, and you new baby <3 

xo, Elyse

Amsterdam- A weekend adventure

Well hey everyone! It sure has been a while since I've used this thing, that's for sure. I hope to be more consistent now with blogging, as I have a lot of really exciting things going on around here that I would love to share with you! Most recently, I went to Amsterdam! I'm a member of the very amazing international photographer group called "Documentary Family Photographers" and I joined a group of them in Amsterdam in July for an intensive workshop on pricing. Wow, it sure kicked my butt, but it was so great to be around other amazing photographers and be able to finally meet some of them who I've only "known" online for a while! Also, my best friend was the one leading the workshop, so of course it was really great to spend some quality time with her.

We were only in Amsterdam for 2 nights, so just one full day, but we sure made the most of it. I wanted to share some of the images I took while exploring the streets and canals of Amsterdam. I totally fell in  love with this city! It's also a special place to me because my grandmother grew up just outside of Amsterdam, so it was great to experience the culture and the place that she comes from. I am definitely planning on going back for a much longer stay. And maybe next time I'll allow my boys to come with me ;-) 

xo, elyse 

Postpartum Wellness: Placenta Encapsulation

Postpartum time can be hard for a lot of mamas. With the very real threat of postpartum depression, women are often times very anxious about what life will be like once baby comes. One thing that has made my postpartum period so much easier has been ingesting my placenta. Yes, you read that correctly! Many women swear by this ancient Chinese medicine. There are many benefits to ingesting your placenta after the birth of your baby. Let's talk about it :-) ...

The placenta is this amazing organ that your body creates for you and your baby during pregnancy.  It acts as your body’s hormone factory throughout your pregnancy, regulating and producing a different variety of hormones including serotonin and oxytocin.  You see, during pregnancy the placenta takes over most of the hormone production in your body. This is great, except when your placenta is gone, those hormones take a dramatic dip and are practically non existent in your body. It takes a while for your brain to get back to regulating these hormones.  By ingesting your placenta, it is believed that you can replenish your body with the hormones that linger inside the placenta. The amazing thing is that the placenta’s hormonal make-up is unique to the mother.

Do I mean you should just cut right into it after the baby is born?? No, not necessarily! Though a lot of women (including myself) have benefitted from swallowing a small piece of the placenta immediately after birth to help the uterus contract, thats not what I'm here to tell you about. Placenta encapsulation is a means of ingesting your placenta without the "gross" factor. My placenta encapsulation services include processing the placenta in the widely accepted "raw method", which means it is washed off, dehydrated, blended up into a powder, and put into capsules so that you can take them just like a vitamin. I try to get your "placenta pills" back to you by your third day postpartum! I'll pick up your placenta from the hospital (just ask your nurses/ midwives to save your placenta for you. It's never a problem and you don't need to explain anything to them), and I'll come pick it up the day of the birth! Read what others are saying about my placenta encapsulation services.. 

"It was my first time having a baby and knowing my character, I expected to have baby blues after delivery. Then I bump into Elyse's service on placenta encapsulation service and I read through about it but I was skeptical at first. Since the hospital does normally throw the placenta away, I decided to give it a try and I was very glad with the result. I did not have a baby blues and it also helped a lot in stopping the bleeding.
Elyse provided an excellent service with a reasonable price. She even came to hospital for placenta collection. I totally recommend everybody for her service." -Rita

"I had never heard of placenta encapsulation before Elyse suggested it to me. I looked into it more and decided its a great idea. I took the capsules everyday for around 2 months after the birth. Its hard to say but I think they helped shorten my recovery time and kept my energy at a normal level." -Racine

If you're interested in this service, or would just like to learn more about it, please let  me know! Please check out the Placenta Encapsulation info page on the website to learn more. I'm excited to be able to continue to offer this service to you as your local doula even while I'm on maternity leave <3 I hope to be hearing form you soon!

XO, Elyse 

Felix Ario's Birth Story: At Home Water Birth

This is the story of how Felix Ario came into this world. It was Easter morning and I was at 41 weeks pregnant with my second child, and definitely getting tired of playing the waiting game! I woke up before everyone else (never happens!!) and made a special Easter breakfast while I waited for my husband and our 3 year old son, Oliver, to wake up. Around 8:30 we all sat down to enjoy our fresh cinnamon rolls, fruit, and hot coffee. I loved having the quiet morning and special breakfast with my boys. My husband left to go meet his mom for church at around 10:00 (she was visiting us in Germany and also eagerly awaiting the baby’s birth), and on his way out my midwife showed up for an appointment. I set Ollie up with some cartoons and my midwife and I talked about my different options as far as helping the little man decide it was time to make his way out. I decided it was a good time to have her check if my cervix was dilated at all. She checked and could tell that I was already open to about 2cm, I also requested a membrane sweep. After that and some instruction on exercises to encourage the baby to get down and into the best birth position, she left and Ollie and I enjoyed a very cuddly, quiet and special morning together snuggled up on the couch watching cartoons. I knew that already being dilated and having had the membrane sweep were good indications that labor was definitely in my somewhat near future, but I did not at all have my heart set on it happening that day. Even though I assumed that day was not going to be the baby’s birthday, I still tried my very best to totally soak in that time I had alone with Oliver. I am so glad I did. 

Once Ryan and my mother in law were back from church, we all had Easter lunch together then settled in for an afternoon nap. Once we were all up, i suggested we go for a family walk in hopes of helping encourage some birth action, also, that 3 year old of ours had been inside all day and needed to burn some energy! The 3 of us set out for a walk and all the while I kept having tightening contractions, nothing painful, but a ton of them nonetheless. Once back at our building and up the 70 steps to our apartment (I did lunges up all of them!), we decided to rent a movie and order pizza. While we all watched the movie and waited for the pizza to come, I decided to do some of the pelvic tilts and other exercises on my birth ball that my midwife had suggested. Around 6pm I could tell that the contractions were changing. I started to feel them more intensely and they even started to hurt.

I quickly re-downloaded the contraction tracker app that I had used during labor with Oliver and secretly started to track what I thought were just sporadic and very early labor contractions. At 6:30 I notified my friend, Ash, who lives a couple hours away but was coming to be my birth support and photographer, just to tell her that I was tracking contractions. She suggested that I track for another hour, then let her know if she should leave to start driving or not. So then at 7:30, after a couple slices of pizza and snuggles with my boys, I sent Ash a screenshot of my contraction tracker. She decided she was just going to come then, just be be safe rather than sorry! At this point I was still in denial that I was actually in labor! With Oliver everything was so gradual and I had hours and hours and hours of contractions that felt just like I was experiencing then at that moment. I knew that I was probably in labor, but I assumed it was still very early and I had quite a lot of work to do still. After the movie, Oliver went to go spend the night with my mother in law in the apartment about a mile away that she was staying in until the baby was born. I hugged and kissed him goodbye, knowing full well that would probably be the last time I held him as my only child, my baby. I let the tears fall for a good 20 minutes after they left, but by that time the contractions were getting so intense that I had to move on and focus on the work that my body had to do. I called my midwife then for the first time, at 8:30. I told her that I was in early labor and now that Oliver and my mother in law were gone, I was going to lay down and try to rest for a bit and that I would call her back in an hour or so. 

During that next hour, Ryan came home from dropping off Oliver and his mom back at her apartment she was staying in, and Ash arrived (thank God!). And upon her arrival I told her where to find the wine (she had been soberly on call for me for the past 2 weeks, and birth is an event to be celebrated after all!) ;-) I found it strange that I was only able to labor while laying down on the sofa, and that I was seeming to not have much of a break in between contractions! At 9:30 Ryan decided it best to let my midwife know that she should come, if anything, just to check my progress. Just after 10:00pm, my midwife arrived and found me in what turned out to be transition!

Once she arrived my body went into labor over drive. My contractions were on top of each other, very strong, but still bearable! I was using coping methods such as envisioning my cervix opening like a blooming flower, I chanted my baby’s name, moaned, breathed down to him, and tried my best to think of making room for him to come down, making him feel welcome to the outside world. I asked my midwife to check my progress, and I remember saying that I was afraid to be told that I was only at 3cm or something, though deep down I knew that my body had been WORKING and working hard. Julia (my midwife) did a cervical check and much to my amazement she said that I was almost completely open! Hallelujah!! I wanted to throw a party right then and there! I had only been laboring for a little over 3 hours!! The end was in sight and I was going to meet my baby boy very soon! Deep down I knew I had been going through transition already and must be ready to push soon, as I had all the sensations of the baby moving down lower and lower, and the pressure was building in all the right places :-) Thank goodness Ryan and been so on top of getting the birth pool filled and at the right temperature, because I needed to get in right at that moment! And another shout out to my amazing doula of a husband, he remembered to ask me how many drops of what essential oils I wanted in the diffuser <3 I had long forgotten what essential oils were at that point, but he knew how important it was for me to have them used during my labor. He’s a good good man.

Anyway, I got into that water and things sure picked up. After a couple more contractions which also led to my waters breaking (about 3 seconds after my midwife offered to break them for me), that urge to push became overwhelming! It was a welcomed change from the pain of contractions, and I was excited to meet my baby!

With Oliver I pushed for 2 freaking hours, so I had no idea what to expect with this labor. In the water I felt so much more comfortable and in control. Throughout the whole labor, I actually never once felt out of control or panicky. I pushed as gently as my body would allow, never feeling panicked or scared. The burning sensation was almost unbearable, and at that point I do remember telling my birth team that I was DONE, haha, yeah right. I would say that it took about 6 good pushing contractions for the baby’s head to be born. And funny enough, after his head popped out, i had a VERY long break from contractions! I was squatting there in the water, just rubbing the baby’s head for what felt like 10 minutes! In reality, it was probably just a minute long break. I remember feeling his wet fuzzy hair and just being in awe and in shock that this was happening so smoothly and so quickly! He was already here! Well, halfway ;-) With the next contraction, he slid right out and I brought him out of the water and to my chest.

What an amazing feeling of accomplishment! My baby was here and in my arms, finally! I remember telling him how proud I was of the hard work we both did, that we had accomplished this amazing miracle together! His cord was very short so we needed to get the placenta out quite quickly. To get my contractions going again, the second midwife suggested we get the oxytocin flowing again with the help of some romantic kissing with my husband. I’ve always loved the idea of this, so I went no problem into this makeout session with Ryan… in front of everyone, me still in the water holding the baby and him awkwardly leaning over the side of the pool trying to reach me as best as he could… it was great haha! It must have worked though, because with just one position change, out came the placenta!

After hanging out in the water for a bit, snuggling and ooooo-ing and ahhhhhh-ing, my midwifes helped Felix and I out of the pool and onto the sofa, just a few steps away. Once the cord was done pulsing, Ryan cut the cord and my midwives started to examine the placenta to make sure it looked healthy and that it came out in its entirety. Upon examination, the midwives nervously exclaimed that Felix had a true knot in his umbilical cord! This can be a dangerous element to a birth, but thankfully all was totally well and fine.

After an hour or so of cuddling on the sofa and getting breastfeeding off to a great start, I swallowed a bit of placenta to help with my contracting uterus, I got a few stitches, used the toilet, showered off, my midwives did Felix’s check up, and then tucked us all into bed. Ah, I was in birth heaven!!! All night I just stared at my baby in disbelief that a birth could go so amazingly well, and fast! I was definitely on a birth high and could not be any happier. I had my sweet baby Felix in my arms at last, and I had the most beautiful and peaceful home water birth, everything that I had hoped for and worked so hard to achieve! 

I wish these same feelings of peace, empowerment, confidence, strength and joy for all birthing women! It is possible! Your body is not broken! I hope this story encourages at least one woman to fight for a normal birth, a peaceful and joyous birth! You can do it!

And thank you to Ash Raddatz with Studio La Muse for the gorgeous photos!

XO, Elyse

Essential Oils for Labor & Birth!

Hey all! So in preparation for my own homebirth, I'm making sure all of my favorite and most essential (haha get it) birth supplies are in order and set out for my birth team. These 5 oils are definitely my go to when attending a birth and I hope they are helpful tools in my own labor and birth coming up! When I was pregnant with my first son, I was clueless about essential oils and they were definitely not a part of my birth toolbox, but over the years I have researched oils and seen first hand just how helpful and amazing they can be when used correctly and appropriately in a labor and birth setting.

Here is how I'm hoping to use these oils during labor and birth! I plan on printing out a little sheet of paper with simple instruction for my birth team (yikes, should do that today!).

Peppermint: Helps relieve nausea, headaches, and back pain. Can be used to give a little kick of energy and helps your brain focus at the task at hand! It helps relieve anxiety and hypertension. Be sure to use with a carrier oil when applied to the skin! Peppermint can also be diffused or just sniffed from the bottle for aromatherapy benefits. Avoid use after the baby is born, as peppermint has been linked to reduction of breast milk production. 

Clary Sage: This would be a wonderful oil to have diffusing throughout the whole labor! DO NOT start the use of this oil until labor is already established! Do not use this oil in pregnancy or as a way to induce labor. Clary sage helps your uterus contract, so it would be a great oil to have on hand in case labor stalls or if you need a little extra help with getting your placenta out. I'm planning on having it diffused throughout my labor to help my uterus stay working strong as well as rubbed on my abdomen after the baby is born to help my placenta release.

Wild Orange: Anything with citrus is going to be invigorating, refreshing and energy giving. Wild orange can be used on its own or mixed with peppermint to give energy, or mixed with lavender to reduce anxiety.

Lemon: Lemon can also be sued in the same way you would use wild orange. The citrus scent is invigorating and refreshing, and maybe you're just more in the mood for a lemon scent over an orange scent! Or mix the two oils for a wonderful citrus scent to revive your mind and mood!

Lavender: This is probably the most popular oil to use in labor (and in normal everyday life!). Lavender can be used to relax and balance your mind and body. When smelled at the peaks of difficult contractions, lavender can help calm and relax you. Lavender can be mixed with other oils to increase the potency of other oils and can even ease your after birth pains.

Deep Blue: This is an oil that I'm adding to my own birth kit that I don't usually give to friends and clients mainly due to the cost of the oil. This is a pretty expensive yet VERY potent oil that can be used to relieve back labor! Hallelujah! It's a mix by doTERRA, it smells a lot like Vicks, and is a mix of different oils that go deep into the muscles to help them relax and release. My back labor with Oliver was a nightmare, so I'm excited to have this oil on hand for this labor just in case back labor decides to rear its very ugly head again.

Maybe you notices me saying that some of these oils should be used with a "carrier oil". If you don't know what that is, it just means that the essential oil should be used with a non essential oil such as olive oil or coconut oil to dilute the potency or "heat" of the essential oil. Essential oils cannot be mixed with water, only another oil, so it's good to have these "carrier oils" on hand to help you use the essential oils safely. As a general rule, all oils can and maybe should be used with a carrier oil anytime that the essential is applied to the skin. The carrier oil that I prefer to use is coconut oil because of how great it is for the skin as well as its lack of its own odor. You could use any coconut oil from your grocery store, but I specifically got this lovely bottle of fractionated coconut oil from doTERRA which is connected it its own squirty top. Fractionated just means that the oil will stay in its "melted" sort of state and will not go back to becoming a solid as coconut oil often does at room temperature. I love to use essential oils mixed with carrier oils for massages for the laboring woman. I hope that members of my own birth team will do the same for me :-)

Well, there ya go! Information on the oils that I love to use during labor and birth and am hoping to use at my own birth coming up! If you are planning on using oils yourself, be sure to become as informed as possible! Essential oils are not just simple fragrances, but actual potent medicines. When used in moderation, appropriately and safely, essential oils can be a huge benefit to you in the birthing room. But when used blindly and recklessly, essential oils could be dangerous, so PLEASE be sure to be smart and informed!

Do you have any other favorite oils that you love to use in pregnancy, labor, birth and even the postpartum time?? Let me know!

xoxo, elyse

Yummy Pregnancy Smoothie

Have you guys heard about how eating dates throughout your pregnancy is linked to shorter/easy labor?!?! Who knows if it's true, BUT why not give it a shot?!

I'm about about 2 weeks out from my due date, and also planning a homebirth, so I'm all about doing things that might help my labor go as smoothly as possible. I've been eating about 6 dates everyday for the past week or so, but that can get kind of boring. While looking for a more interesting way to get in my daily allotment of dates, I came upon this DELISH smoothie!

So here is what went in my date pregnancy smoothie!:

- 7 dates

- A handful of almonds

- About a cup of almond milk

- About a cup of ice

- 1 banana

Blend it up and enjoy! It's so sweet, creamy, and very yummy.

What are some pregnancy foods/treats that you enjoyed while pregnant? Have you tried the date trick, and did it work for you?

Cheers!, Elyse

What Helps: Birth Affirmations

Hey all and welcome to my very first blog post!

So, let's just get right to it.. I'm super pregnant and desperate for anything that helps ease my mind and encourages my mama heart. I've used these birth affirmation cards in the past with clients and have given them to friends, but here I am... needing them for myself!

Have you ever thought to use affirmation cards in your pregnancy and labor? I love the idea of affirmations that you can just carry around with you in your purse or pocket to use when needed. I know from experience that sometimes those waves of panic, fear and just general fed up-ness (that's a word, right?!?!) can come at you quickly and unexpectedly. When those times hit, it's good to have a quick resource on hand to help center and calm your heart and mind!

When in labor, birth affirmations are a key way to ensure that you stay focused, calm, and empowered. Give them to your midwife, partner, or doula to either read to you when you need it most or to hand off to you when you need to look through them yourself. Maybe you could tape some up on the wall next to where you're laboring to be able to look at them hands free. This would be especially helpful in the event of a water birth where you might not want to get the cards wet.

I'm planning on having my stack of cards printed out and tied together in the corner so I can flip through them as need be, as well as another copy of the set printed and taped on the wall by my birthing pool (can't have too many!!). If you're interested in making your own birth affirmation cards, I suggest looking through books and different resources online to gather all your favorite birth quotes, scriptures, words of power, and helpful reminders to put on your cards. I love the affirmations used in the Hypnobirthing technique. Find a background that's calming and visually pleasing to look at to either write or type your affirmation on. A great idea would be to paint/draw/color your own cards, use fabric, photographs, calming plain colors or anything you think would speak to you in a time of need.

As a doula, I've left birth affirmations with a mama who was having a LONG labor and needed something to comfort her through a long and uncomfortable night in the hospital. I've given them to a mama who was preparing for a HBAC (homebirth after C section) and was dealing with feelings of fear during her pregnancy. Both women said that they used the cards and felt that they were an awesome help to them in those times of need! I usually give them as a gift at baby showers and blessingways, and I've heard that my mama friends always look forward to this very special and helpful gift :-)

So, here I am... almost 38 weeks pregnant and definitely finding myself in need of some affirmations here and there! If you are pregnant, or looking to make a meaningful gift for a friend who is pregnant, be sure to remember the importance and power of positive affirmation! Who doesn't need a little reminder every once in a while that they are freaking awesome and can kick some major ass! This is of course especially important during pregnancy and labor!

Now, let's say it all together... "You Got This!"

xoxo, elyse