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From the monthly archives:
October 2010
Having seen births at hospitals, birth centers, and homes, I have to say it is amazing how differently the process unfolds when we don’t mess with it. If you are a low risk mama and are hoping for a peaceful, natural birth and bonding experience, please make sure that you choose a provider who trusts birth and a venue that supports birth as a normal part of life, not a medical event to be managed. What you see in this video is possible (probable, in fact!) when we let it be.
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Effectively balancing the art and science of maternity care is a work in progress for too many providers and facilities.
This post from Birth Sense, a blog written by a certified nurse midwife with a hospital based practice, is definitely worth a read:
Where’s The Evidence? 10 Ways Modern Obstetrics Ignores Evidence
The author covers maternity care hot topics including induction, pitocin to speed labor, continuous fetal monitoring, immediate cord clamping, pushing and more. Her insight is spot on, and something to consider when you decide where and how you want to have your baby. As always, the number one most important thing a mama-to-be can do is to choose a provider who she trusts, and a birth venue that meets her needs. If you do those two things you can relax and not have to undergo a complex negotiation of what will and will not “be done to you,” which is stressful and often leads to disappointment.
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My Healing Miso Soup, perfect for cold and flu season
Today is my third day on the Cooler Cleanse, and it has definitely been the hardest day yet. This is through no fault of the cleanse, but because I seem to have caught a little cold that I am trying my darndest to cut off at the pass. I woke up with a sore throat yesterday morning and immediately went into immune boosting mode which involved: a large dose of Vitamin D (I do this for 3 days, then back to my regular dose of 5,000 IU every day as blood tests showed I’m deficient), Vitamin C, using the Neti Pot, gargling with salt water, taking a hot bath, and drinking hot tea with lemon. I feel good knowing that I’m already flooding my body with lots of healing nutrients with this cleanse. It’s also nice not to have to worry much about food prep, when I want to use all my spare time to rest (rest is best!).
In addition to the aforementioned healing practices, my scratchy throat had me craving something savory and warm and more green vegetables and garlic (nature’s healers!). So I decided to go off plan just a bit. The Cooler Cleanse people do not recommend this, and the point of a juice cleanse is to give the digestive system a total rest, which I do think is valuable. But for me, today, the desire for some additional nutrition outweighed my desire for digestive rest, and I choose to go with my intuition about what my body needs (as long as it was healthy). To invent the right soup, I basically just went into the organic grocery store and got what called out to me. I knew that I definitely wanted green vegetables, onion (I read once that you should eat a whole onion when you’re getting sick and it can make it go away–who knows, but it’s become a bit of a ritual), and some miso, which is full of beneficial and immune boosting bacteria. The rest was chosen because it seemed like a good idea. I don’t measure anything, I just eyeball everything and adjust to taste. Here’s my non-recipe:
The pot ‘o veggies before the miso addition. Just remember, never boil your miso!
The pot ‘o veggies before the miso addition. Just remember, never boil your miso!
Andrea’s Healing Miso Soup
- Add olive oil to soup pot and sauté garlic, bok choy and thinly sliced kale (I used Lacinto/Dinosaur and eat the stems and all)
- Once those are nicely sauteed add a little water and the following veggies:
- Shredded daikon radish
- Scallions
- Shitake mushrooms
- Wakame (this is the seaweed usually in miso soup, prepare per package directions)
- Add as much water as you like depending on how much soup you want and let it bubble and steam for a little bit (not too long, all of these things can be lightly cooked and will be delicious)
- Boil a big mug’s worth of water and once it is no longer boiling, stir in miso paste. I used mild white miso.
- Take the big pot of soup off the stove, and once it is no longer boiling add in the miso. Miso should never be boiled.
- Optional: I sauteed half an onion in a separate pan until it was well carmalized and added it to the soup at the end. It was a really great addition–slightly sweet, and melty, highly recommended.
- Seasoning: Salt and pepper to taste (I went heavy on the pepper) and cayenne or hot sauce if you want the added sinus clearing benefits.
Nothing left to do but enjoy!
As for day 3 of the Cooler Cleanse, juice #2 today was Grapefruit Mint. I’m not a fan of grapefruit juice, it’s just never been my thing. That said, I can’t imagine how it could have been any better, and it didn’t even cause me to make the face I typically make when I have a sip of grapefruit juice. Despite wishing I had the Pineapple Ginger or Watermelon Lime instead, I did think that this juice was probably perfect for my coming-down-with-a-cold-ness, and for that I was grateful. I have the red juice and almond milk left for this evening, and am looking forward to them both. It’s early to bed for me, and hey, I’m over half way done!
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This juice is pure perfection. I dare you not to love it.
All that I really want to say about day 2 (which was yesterday) is WATERMELON LIME juice. Oh my yum. It was yesterday’s juice number two, taking the place of day number 1′s Pineapple Ginger. It was wonderful. The other swap was that the final juice was Brazil Nut Milk instead of the Almond Milk. I am surprised to say I think I actually preferred the Brazil Nut Milk. It was rich and creamy and I’ve been craving it ever since.
I unfortunately have to report that I’m coming down with a cold (typically I would think this is a detox symptom, but I spent 40 hours in a hospital last week so I’m 98% sure it’s a little bug) so today I added some homemade vegetable and miso soup to my cleanse. My throat is bothering me and I really felt the need for something beyond tea to warm me up and help clear me out. I’ll share that recipe soon because I invented it on the fly, and it turned out really well! As far as the numbers game goes, today the scale showed another 1.5 pound loss bringing me to 8 pounds lighter after 2 days of Cooler Cleanse juices and nothing else. I’ll be curious to see how my soup affects the numbers tomorrow. I’m ok with whatever it says. The Cooler Cleanse people do not recommend adding solid food mind you, and usually I am a super rules follower about such matters, but I’m working on being less rigid and more intuitive. Now I’m going to get some extra sleep and let my nutrient-filled and juiced-up body do a little healing!
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Here's a pic from the Cooler Cleanse website. You get one bag just like this for each day of juice cleansing. They are little and cute and have an ice pack to keep everything fresh.
At the beginning of this year I shared that I was preparing for my own pregnancy and birth by creating and committing to some specific health, fitness, and overall life goals to make sure I am happy, healthy, and glowey when the time comes. I called this effort Project Glow 2010, and just decided to add a 5-day juice cleanse to the mix. I am somewhat of a juice cleanse veteran, and last year I even did a 19 day “juice feast” during which I had nothing but highly-nutritious and mostly green juices. It was a great experience, but to be honest, since that time I’ve been a bit leery of cleansing, and any other dramatic eating program. I realized that in the past few years I got in the habit of using extreme diet changes (including juicing and cleanses) as a weight management Hail Mary. I was either fasting or feasting, and what could have been healthy practices became part of a yo-yo dieting debacle. I totally know better, and it completely snuck up on me. As did a whole bunch of pounds. I’ve really spent the last year plan-less, somewhat afraid of anything resembling this kooky dynamic I had created.
- When you pick up your 3 days worth of juice, be prepared for a 22 pound haul. I transferred 2 of the coolers to my backpack, and am so thankful I did.
That said, I have had amazing health benefits from various cleansing and detox programs, benefits I could really use now. When I did the 19 day juice feast my period that had been wacky for years became like clockwork, as well as PMS-free and headache-free, within 4 days. A cough I’d had for months disappeared, as did some reflux that had been troubling me and a whole slew of other physical annoyances that told me I was not in optimal health. I think I’m finally back in the right frame of mind to use cleansing as a short term medicine to cure what ails me, while committing to a healthy balanced lifestyle the rest of the time (free from the pre-fast feast). So sensing that the time is right for a little healing, I reached out the the folks at the Cooler Cleanse to help me with a 5-day juice cleanse.
The Cooler Cleanse was co-founded by Salma Hayak, a holistic mama in her own right. I got excited about it because I had read a number of reviews that said that of all the cleanse companies, Cooler Cleanse had the best green juice. Well, that good press plus the fact that the Cooler Cleanse is a little less expensive than other juice cleanses (Blue Print Cleanse, Organic Avenue) inspired me to give it a go. I started the cleanse yesterday, and here’s what I think so far:
I picked up my juice at the West Village location at 171 West 4th Street, between Cornelia & Jones streets.
The Pick Up
You can have the cleanse delivered (Cooler Cleanse delivers nationwide via FedEx Priority Overnight Shipping), which if you have the extra money, or aren’t in NYC is totally worth it. I decided to pick it up (which is free) at one of 3 Juice Generation locations in Manhattan where you can grab your cleanse anytime from 10 am – 8 pm, any day of the week. I received my first 3 days worth of organic, unpasturized, raw juice yesterday, and will pick up the last 2 days on Monday. The big drawback to picking it up, which did not occur to me until I was in Juice Generation, is that Juice Generation sells super delicious muffins, sandwiches, and soups. I used to live around the block from a Juice Generation and their pumpkin muffin and vegetarian soup were frequently in my lunch rotation. So if you’re like me, get in and get out, and try not to peep the product lest you’re foiled before you even begin. Another important note, 3 days of juice weighs 22 pounds, which is serious business. I brought a backpack and put 2 of the 3 coolers in there and it helped immensely.
Three days of cooler cleanse juices all lined up in my fridge. What you see is the first two for each day side by side (juices 3 - 6 are behind).
The Juices
The juices are numbered in the order you are to drink them, which is handy and keeps you from drinking the very best first and then kicking yourself for the rest of the day. I love a tasty juice, and consider myself somewhat of an aficionado, that said I have also consumed tons of non-delicious items in the name of health. Here’s what I found: PURE DELICIOUSNESS. I honestly cannot believe how pleasant all of the juices were. Not a clunker in the bunch, nothing I had to just get down knowing it is good for me. Here’s the breakdown of what was in my day 1 cooler:
Juice 1: Essential Green
This juice was light, mild, and for lack of a better word, nice. Yes it was green, but it didn’t taste oh-so-green, which I appreciated. I also love that it includes dandelion greens, which are great for cleansing the kidneys and liver. This was the easiest drinking green juice I’ve ever had.
Juice 2: Pineapple and Ginger
This juice was lovely. It definitely had some heat from the ginger, which is wonderful at this time of the year. Sometimes pineapple can be syrupy sweet, but this wasn’t. It was perfectly balanced.
Ingredients: cucumber, celery, parsley, spinach, kale, dandelion greens, watercress, pear, lemon, ginger.
Juice 3: Essential Green
Same as before–a minimum of 2 green drinks on any juice cleanse is super important.
Juice 4: Young Coconut Water
I am a huge promoter of coconut water (just ask my clients) and this one did not disappoint. It was a bit better than the kind you can buy at the grocery, I’m sure it is because it is fresher.
Juice 5: Essential Red
This is the juice I was most worried about. I have never liked any of my juice concoctions that have included beet, so I thought this might be “the one.” The one I had to just get down, and get on with it. Nope! It was so good. It was at this point that I was like, come on Cooler Cleanse…where have you been all my life?
Juice 6: Almond Milk
Well, you just can’t go wrong here. I love almond milk, and use it as my milk of choice already for cereal, smoothies, baking, etc… Ending the day with something a little richer, and that has some good fat in it, is really a wonderful treat.
I couldn't help myself and took a big sip before I clicked the pic on this one!
Overall Impression
I am starving, but I am in love. My body has not yet adjusted to the liquid only, and no, I did not bound out of bed this morning full of energy. My cravings are still really distracting (I have never wanted a bowl of brown rice, broccoli, scallions, carrots, and almonds, with lemon-garlic-tahini dressing so badly in my entire life). That said, did you hear how healthy that craving is? In terms of weight I am down a shocking 6.5 pounds today. What that tells me is that I had been eating something that had me retaining water. The key at the end will be to figure out what that was, and to keep avoiding it. I knew something was going on because at about 8 pm I started diuresing (a nursey word for peeing) like crazy, and aside from the juice I had not done a great job of having additional water or tea all day. So I have to say that day one, though full of cravings and temptations, was a big success. I have 4 more to go, and will keep you posted!
*NOTE FOR PREGNANT MAMAS: I want to be clear that I do not recommend juice cleansing/fasting for pregnant mamas. I think it can be great for mamas-to-be like me who are endeavoring on their own project glow. What I do recommend if it appeals to you, is that pregnant mamas add juices, in particular green juices, to an otherwise healthy balanced diet. They are also great healthy-diet additions post delivery, especially for mamas who delivered via caesarean. In that case, green juices are more important than ever as they help with tissue repair.
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The Earth Birth "ambulance"
A good friend of mine, Rachel Zaslow, is the co-founder of Earth Birth, an International Women’s Health Collective run by midwives to foster a movement that encourages and promotes safe and peaceful birth as an act of social justice and community healing. Rachel is a homebirth midwife who lives in Brooklyn when she is not on-site at Earth Birth in Uganda. We met a few years ago when I was at work as a labor and delivery nurse, and was assigned to the laboring mama Rachel had transferred to the hospital. We had an instant connection as we did Reiki together and supported this family in welcoming their newest member. Last night I was talking to another midwife I met through Rachel, Kate Prendergast. Kate spent six weeks volunteering at Earth Birth and she shared with me the ways that experience impacted her current practice. I found it fascinating, and thought you might too. Kate agreed to write a guest post for Holistic Doula NYC, here it is:
Midwives Rachel Zaslow and Olivia Kimble founded Earth Birth to reduce maternal and infant mortality in several locations around the globe by providing maternity health services in environmentally sustainable facilities. One of the goals is to teach the use of safe, economical protocols and sustainable equipment to the local birth attendants. Dependency on expensive, disposable and imported equipment and medication eventually leads to worse outcomes when those supplies are not available. I was lucky enough to spend 6 weeks volunteering at Earth Birth in Northern Uganda and now, almost a year later, I have begun to realize how two aspects of that experience have influenced my homebirth midwifery practice here in the New York and New Jersey metro areas.
Kate and some of the traditional birth attendants in Uganda
The first influence was my official title while I was in Uganda: “Senior Staff Midwife”. I am normally not one for titles and labels and did not think much of it at the time, but in retrospect I can feel how the title combined with the reality that when Olivia (who was onsite in Uganda during my 6 week stay) was away or busy with the other business of the project I was the obstetric authority everyone looked to if problems arose. My role was to teach and supervise the local midwives, helping them gain skills and overseeing prenatal appointments, labors, births and postpartum care. The reality that at times, “I was it,” had a great effect on me, and my confidence level. The other influence was the simplicity of the birth kit.
In an American hospital a large cart with drawers is at the ready with many instruments and medications. In addition, disposable and washable linen, disposable pads, oxygen and IV poles, infant resuscitation and monitoring equipment are in every room. For my homebirth practice here in America, both my partner and I carry multiple large bags with equipment and medication. The expectant family also assembles a large tote box of towels in various sizes, baby blankets and clothing, and orders a variety of supplies from one of several businesses set up for this purpose. Typically American families will also have a myriad of other infant equipment from a car seat to a boppy pillow.
Earth Birth co-founder Olivia Kimball with a group of traditional birth attendants
In contrast, the birth kit at Earth Birth in Uganda fits entirely in a dishpan or locally woven basket. It consisted of: a plastic sheet, a cotton sheet, 3 or 4 towels, a pair of scissors, a Delee and bulb syringe, all of which had been washed and hung to dry in the sun after the previous birth. Gloves, two lengths of cord tape and a handful of cotton wool were the only disposable items. A fetoscope, blood pressure cuff and stethoscope completed the standard equipment in the birth room. Sutures and some medication were available in an adjacent storage area. The family brought a small bundle of rags for pads and diapers.
The effect of these two realities—full responsibility and sparse equipment—on my personal process as a midwife deepened my already strong faith in the normalcy of birth and in my skills and ability to address complications with only my heart, mind and hands. My gratitude for the availability and proximity of higher levels of medical care is now deeper then it was before. Most people, including my midwifery partner Carole, who visit Africa on a medical care mission, are forever changed by the experience of seeing the disparities in resources around the world. I am thankful for the ways Earth Birth changed me.
Kate is currently taking home birth clients and is also available for postpartum doula work. Kate has been doing birth work since 1996 and has two grown sons of her own.
Rachel is also available for home birth clients and can be reached at rzaslow@gmail.com.
If you want to help support Earth Birth, click here, and to view Earth Birth’s amazing flickr photostream, click here.
Construction on Earth Birth's flower-shaped birth center. Click the pic to find out Earth Birth's current needs.
Check out the amazing progress! Click the pic to see more photos and to join Earth Birth's Facebook page for the latest updates.
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National Midwifery Week is being held across the country this week. As part of Midwifery Week, Holistic Doula NYC encourages women to take charge of their health care and their lives. Nurse-Midwives are here to help empower women to take charge of their health.
Let’s continue to advance women’s health, together. Take Charge! For more information, visit the American College of Nurse-Midwives’ Web site at www.midwife.org.
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Complications from circumcision, including death, are not something considered by many parents who choose to circumcise. The blog Peaceful Parenting wrote a great post, Death from Circumcision, on the topic and the case of Ryleigh McWillis in British Columbia. Here is an illuminating quote shared in that post:
In their statement on the increased dangers of neonatal circumcision, Doctors Opposing Circumcision(DOC) physicians and surgeons reported:
The prepuce is highly vascularized, so it is likely to hemorrhage when cut, and severing the frenular artery is very common. Infants have a miniscule amount of blood in their tiny bodies and can tolerate only about a 20 percent blood loss before hypovolemia, hypovolemic shock, and death. A 4000 gram male newborn has only 11.5oz (340 ml) of total blood volume at birth, 85 ml per kilogram of weight. Blood loss of only 2.3oz, (68 ml), 20% of total blood volume at birth is sufficient to cause hypovolemia. Many newborns, and especially premature infants, weigh much less and a smaller amount of blood loss would be sufficient to trigger hypovolemic shock in those infants. Circumcision of infants, therefore, carries the inherent danger of hypovolemic shock and death.
Here’s another very unsettling, and largely unknown, fact from Peaceful Parenting:
The reality is that today more baby boys die from circumcision surgery each year in the United States than from choking, from auto accidents, from suffocation, from SIDS, and from the (newly recalled) sleep positioners.
As a health care professional, and an advocate for human rights, I do not recommend what is a medically unnecessary cosmetic surgery for patients who are unable to give informed consent. If boy children grow up wanting cosmetic surgery on their penises, I say let them make that decision when they are grown. That way if they want the procedure they can have it, and if they don’t, then they did not have to endure the experience of circumcision including an uncomfortable healing process, nor a life-long decrease in sensation and sexual pleasure without a choice in the matter. This seems like a very reasonable and approach.
If you are still considering circumcision and want more information, I highly recommend the Circumcision Decision Maker.
Click the pic to go to the Circumcision Decision Maker
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