Category: Pregnancy

The Challenge Of Loving Your Changing Pregnant Body

12/7/2016

You know what sucks? Worrying about your appearance all the time.
If you’re a woman, chances are you know exactly what I’m talking about, since statics show that at least 80% (although some say it's as high as 98%) of women feel dissatisfied with the way they look.
Isn’t that insane?
The documentary Embrace (trailer below), goes deep into this struggle for self-love.

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WHEN YOU DON'T WANT TO TELL PEOPLE YOU'RE PREGNANT

11/26/2016

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After these last few year of immersing myself on the world of pregnancy, birth and parenting, I have learned that one of the biggest struggles we all face is dealing with expectations.

Expectations make it really hard to live and enjoy the moment how it is. It’s hard to feel judged by others, but the hardest judgment to deal with comes from within. In reality, almost nothing will ever be what we expect it to be, even if we have experienced it before.

“Expectations make it really hard to live and enjoy the moment how it is. It’s hard to feel judged by others, but the hardest judgment to deal with comes from within.”

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Constipation During Pregnancy

11/17/2016

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MY NUMBER ONE PREGNANCY PROBLEM!

My first pregnancy was a happy, easy one in many ways. I got morning sickness only a few times during my first trimester, I didn’t have tons of pains and aches and I didn’t really suffer much from pregnancy symptoms.
Except for one: constipation.

Many pregnant women struggle with constipation but it’s not the most glamorous thing to talk about, so many don’t say anything. We can blame pregnancy hormones on this one, which relax smooth muscles throughout the body, making food pass through the intestines more slowly.

Constipation can be a serious problem that can cause painful hemorrhoids (which will only get worse with pushing a baby out), plus it can be problematic during labor if it continues towards the end of pregnancy.

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ARE WE CRAZY FOR BRINGING MORE PEOPLE INTO THE WORLD?

10/30/2016

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I have a lot of friends that don’t want to have kids.

Some of them might change their minds in the future, they are still young and nowadays people are becoming parents later on in life. But you know what?
I think most of them won’t change their minds. They are determined and confident and they are doing great things in life that fulfill them. They don’t seem to feel the urge to bring other humans into the world.

I know they don't mean any harm, but sometimes their comments and posts about their decision to avoid parenthood rub me the wrong way. Why? Well, because I’m a mom. Not only that, but I’m also someone who shifted her lifestyle and career completely since becoming a parent. And although I love my son with all my heart, when I read all the reasons why people don’t want to have kids, a shade of doubt grows in my heart. Am I too selfish to be a good mom? Am I raising my son in a world that is falling apart? Can I really give him a good life? Is he going to be a person who will bring positive things into the world? Am I losing myself in motherhood?

These are hard questions. I could ignore those voices in my mind and just look at my son in his amazing innocence and beauty, but I would be denning a party of my self and that's never good. I think it’s worth to sit with these thoughts and feel the feelings all the way.

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HULA HOOPING TO ENJOY AND NURTURE YOUR PREGNANT BODY!

6/4/2016

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Photo credit: Allison Andres Photography. Model Lilea Duran.

WHY SHOULD YOU STAY ACTIVE DURING PREGNANCY?

Did you know that the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology recommends at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise every day or two? (Unless you have a medical or pregnancy complication.)

Exercise increases our natural vitality by stimulating blood flow and oxygenating the body. It awakens the mind and may also help to ease or prevent depression. It has been known to prevent gestational diabetes, pregnancy pains and aches, and it even helps you sleep better!

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NATURAL BIRTH IN AN ARTIFICIAL WORLD: LOBA FILM REVIEW

4/19/2016

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LOBA FILM REVIEW

TRIGGER WARNING: This movie contains some traumatic birth experiences and stories of women who suffered from obstetric violence.

Last month I had the chance to watch the film LOBA during an International Women’s Day online screening. This film, directed by French osteopath Catherine Béchard, is an honest and beautiful exploration of what giving birth means nowadays in a variety of settings and locations.

The word loba, meaning she-wolf in Spanish, is a very appropriate title for a movie that explores deeply and with a multiculturalist lens how our seemingly ever growing distance from nature is transforming the way we are born, and especially the way we as women relate to our bodies.

Shot in France, Spain, Mexico and Cuba, this film opens up a window into the reality of different parts of the world and invites us to challenge and widen our understanding of normality.

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STINGING NETTLE RECIPES AND HARVEST

2/28/2016

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Since I grew up in Mexico, my awareness of the seasons was never very strong.
I will always remember the second year I was living in New York City when I was walking down the street and I saw some little buds flowering in a tree. My heart swell with joy.

Here in Olympia, WA, the days are slowly becoming longer and the streets are slowly welcoming the colors of the blooming flowers. Last week we had the chance to attend a wonderful community event organized by The Red Thread Apothecary. We went to Priest Point Park to harvest nettles and it was wonderful and refreshing. Sophie, the young and wise herbalist who led the nature walk, invited us to intentionally sting ourselves in the forehead before we started harvesting. "Nettles change me," was the blessing she did while touching her face lightly with the plant, "so when you get stung, remember to welcome the change."

This change of seasons is a very creative time for me, so I have a couple of things to share with you today and I hope you enjoy them.

First, I made a video!

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How I stopped worrying and became a dancer Part 2: DANCING FOR BIRTH™

2/8/2016

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PART 2: DANCING FOR BIRTH™ AND
UTERINE RECONNECTION DANCE

HOW PREGNANCY CHANGED ME AND HELPED ME DISCOVER MY CALLING

When I was a teenager, I took pride in considering myself a very reasonable and scientific person. I was quick to dismiss anything that couldn't be proved by science and I felt deeply annoyed by superstitions of any kind.

As I grew older and I started traveling and meeting many different people with different perspectives, I started to open my mind to recognize that there was a lot of value to intuition and other things that couldn't be measured or scientifically proven.

During my pregnancy I was deeply connected to an unexplainable way of knowing. I kept on meeting all the right people at the right times. Some shared their stories and recommended the inspiring readings that helped shape a new vision for my future: I needed to become a birth worker.

The birth of my son was definitely the most powerful spiritual experience I have ever gone through. I swayed and sang my way through each contraction and discovered a huge power in childbirth that profoundly impacted me. It was tremendously inspiring.

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MENSTRUATION AND CHILDBIRTH: THE FEAR OF BEING MESSY

1/5/2016

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I was eleven when I first got my period.

My mom had talked to me about it in a very factual manner and I think we also heard about it in school, so it wasn’t a surprise. I had been anticipating it for a while. Although I knew it was generally discouraged to talk about it, I told a few of my best friends I had “gotten it.” How could I help it? I was just so excited about growing up.

I was terribly disappointed when I found out a year or so later that my best friend started menstruating around the same time than me, but had not told me anything. When I asked, hurt and offended, why she kept it secret even after I told her about my period, she explained that her mom instructed her to NEVER, NEVER talk about it with anyone or leave any trace of evidence that would let anyone know that she was bleeding. And even though I don’t remember feeling any shame about menstruating before, I felt very ashamed in that moment.

Over the years I have talked to a lot of people whose first experiences with menstruation were negative and even traumatic. Many of them didn’t even know anything about menstruation before they got it. One of my friends told me she was punished when she started bleeding. She was called gross and messy.

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HERBAL FRIENDS FOR THE MAMA-TO-BE

12/22/2015

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When looking at herbal aids in the time of pregnancy, it is easy to feel somewhat daunted. There are many different plants that can be used for the different stages or ailments that occur before, during, and after pregnancy.

To give you an idea of the many benefits herbs can have during pregnancy, I will briefly touch on one great herb ally per momentous stage in pregnancy.

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