Educational Toys Can’t Teach What Connection Does

When you look into the face of your new baby you are more than likely overwhelmed by many things: love, excitement, hormones, inadequacy, insecurity, fear, a sense of timelessness… You blink your eyes and your baby blinks back at you, the moment sacred and magical. The scene is beautiful but another force sees something altogether

Miracle Home Remedy for Mastitis

Mastitis is the worst. When I was pregnant with my first baby I read all the books, I wrote my labor plan, I prepared for each stage, and I practiced pain management techniques. After delivery was over, I cuddled my new baby feeling proud of myself and glad that it was all over. Little did

Nurse Logs of the Pacific Northwest

Nurse Log n. a fallen tree providing nutrients, water, and protection for the saplings that will make up the next generation of the forest Scattered on the slopes of mountains whose knees rest in the sea lie the fallen giants of past centuries: the Nurse Logs. In life they tower to the sky, standing in

Giving & Receiving

Outside the rain is pouring down and the wind is buffeting and then it turns to hail. But inside three women are sharing and listening, holding and hearing. The tears we have shed are the water that nourished the gifts we have to share but for so long these gifts were stuck within, blocked by

Beyond Doulas

A little history and the first question: The doula profession was born in the 1970’s, an offshoot of the natural childbirth movement in America. Women were reclaiming rights to their bodies that had been systematically stripped away from them by men who thought they were the inferior sex, by companies that wanted their labor, and

How to democratically create a project based day with your 4 to 7 year old

At this late preschool/early elementary age little ones are well on their way toward independence. They have made it past the twos and threes and they are getting more and more capable but the world is still a very big place for them. The expectations of their parents or caregivers have also gotten bigger. They

Doula vs Expert

A new (or not so new) mother in our society is bombarded with advice. Media and lay people, doctors and and people who suddenly think they are qualified to give you medical advice: your neighbours, friends, aunts, mother, older sister (or heck, even your younger sister!!), second cousin twice removed; anyone you talk to has

Beyond Birth

I’m guessing you’re reading this because you are expecting a baby sometime in the next few days or months and I’m also guessing that you’ve been inundated by a host of pressures and expectations from literally everyone you encounter. As if it isn’t enough that your body has been taken over by a growing human,

Body After Baby – The Do’s and Don’ts of a Good Postpartum Fitness Plan

By Sumati Do – Follow your doctor’s advice. Ask your doctor questions about how much activity she recommends for you at your 6 week check-up. Depending on your health history and birth doctors may recommend you take it easy for a while longer, or give you the go ahead to start on a postpartum exercise

Eeeek! Why does my doula charge so much (or so little)

Sometimes you might wonder what on earth determines a postpartum doulas fees. Is there a mysterious doula-sorting mechanism that assigns each doula a score? Do luck, chance or, random fluctuations in the weather play a role in the price you get quoted? Or you just maybe thinking “Argh! Why are doulas so expensive!!” Well we’ll