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'Big Belly Services' Carrie Kenner

'Big Belly Services' Carrie Kenner

Susun interviews Carrie Kenner.
Carrie has been helping people have babies since 1980. Her role as mother and grandmother are the most important teachers in her life. But the biggest impact she has on the world is as a birth doula trainer. Carrie has trained over 2000 doulas since 2004, and the ripples of love and support that all those doulas provide in the world help support her mission of "a more peaceful world by promoting healthy birth”. Carrie’s approach to doula training, urban farming, parenting and life is to do what you love, share your passion, and make all your actions lead to racial and social justice.
Carries website is www.bigbellyservices.com



this episode Q&A includes:
• fever with cough- honey, proper dosing of echinacea, licorice, mullein..
• people that get colds and flus in their younger years have less cancer because their immune systems get a chance to work..
• elderberry tincture and yarrow tincture to prevent colds and flus..
• people that are not celiac that avoid gluten have higher incidence of type 2 diabetes..
• people who avoid dairy are more likely to have hip replacements..
• most important food for people with skin issues is full fat plain yogurt..
• soreness in the lymph nodes under the breasts- cleavers tincture or poke root tincture..
• elderberry kills flu virus's, linden infusion prevents colds and flus..
• psoriasis- linden infusion and hypericum oil..

Childbirth Educator Jill Wodnick

Childbirth Educator Jill Wodnick

Susun interviews Jill Wodnick.
Jill Wodnick is national speaker on improving maternal infant health. Prior her current work at Montclair State University, Jill led a Community Doula Program in Hudson County, NJ for Medicaid enrolled womyn. She has been part of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women's Global Prenatal Initiative as well as on local and statewide programs for improving maternity care. Jill is also is a community herbalist and honors the interdepedent web of caring for our earth and caring for families. Jill teaches medical providers at grand rounds, graduate students and professionals, but learns the most from listening to womyn and the sacred ecology of giving birth and being born.



this episode Q&A include:
• small cell lung cancer - medicinal mushrooms prevent metastasis- find out more at www.fungi.com
• preventative radiation does not increase life span..
• MRI's are aggressive and invasive- a threat to health..
• menopausal dryness throughout the body - nourishing herbal infusions and vaginal estrogens, do not drink water..
• longevity of herbs- dried herbs, tinctures, oils..
• drying and preserving herbs..
• vegetarian diet is not healthy for anyone, especially children..
• heme carries iron and oxygen to every cell of our body..
• turkey tail mushroom is very effective for women dealing with breast cancer- breast cancer and prostate cancer are basically the same cancer in different places..
• More B vitamins? brown rice, lentils, red clover infusion, nettle infusion..
• neti pots can cause chronic nasal problems.

'Womb of Light' Bethany Webster

'Womb of Light'  Bethany Webster

Susun interviews Bethany Webster.
Bethany Webster is a writer, transformational coach, international speaker and what you could call a midwife of the heart. Her work is focused on helping women heal the "mother wound" so that they can step into their divine feminine power and potential. She coaches women leaders on how to heal the mother wound so that they can make a quantum leap in their impact and leadership. Bethany is the author of the forthcoming book "Healing the Mother Wound: Move Beyond What Your Mother Never Gave You and Become the Woman You're Meant to be."
Her website is womboflight.com



this episode Q&A includes:
• menopause- be content being uncomfortable- don't go to the doctor, the doctor has been trained to give you drugs..
• gum recession- when it comes to dentistry, science is really our friend, dental health in childhood and using yarrow tincture
• infusion of plantain used as an adaptogen..
• how to use lemon when there are lots..
• horsetail infusion used for mold..
• you need to use herbs with chemotherapy to make the treatment more effective..
• mountain ash- Rowan planted as a protector..
• thyroid lympectomy..
• herbs to support in stopping alcohol addiction..

Herbs for Labor XIII: Ginseng

Herbs for Labor XIII: Ginseng
Article excerpt via The Birth Institute

“Frost is in the air,” states Grandmother Growth, with a nod and a smile as she puts a big piece of wood on the fire and adjusts the damper. She does not invite you to sit down. There is no teapot, with its fragrant and familiar steam, awaiting you.

“Time to dig roots,” Grandmother Growth explains, brushing her hands off and nodding toward the tool shed.

“Time to go hunting for the most valuable root in the world: ginseng. Worth its weight in gold, it’s said. Quickly now! Gather digging tools, gathering baskets, and a small bucket as well. You are dressed warmly. Good. The sun is shining, but so low it brings little heat, and our way is long; it may be dark before we return.

“Here!” She hands you a small piece of a white root. “No need to hold it. That’s right. Put it in your mouth. Chew it, chew it like gum, and swallow your saliva, but don’t swallow the ginseng root. When you tire of chewing, tuck it into your cheek, where it will be safe, and available when you need a little energy.”

“Come, come, we must be off. It is a long and strenuous walk to get to ginseng’s mountainside home, and then to return home again.”

We walk the winding trails into deeper and deeper woods, silently, listening to the life around us, being present in the moment. We are feeling winded long before Grandmother calls a stop, and declaring that we are less than half way there. “We can stop for a short while here, to gather ourselves for the climb ahead. We have come far up the mountain, but ginseng hides far, far away from people.

Grandmother Growth’s voice is soothing and restorative. “Herbs used in labor is our topic, is it not? Yes, for a bit longer. And where were we? Or better yet, where are we?” She winks.

“Digging roots. That’s where we are! We started our discussion of labor herbs with the roots of black and blue cohosh. Then we focused on the leafy and flowering herbs useful during labor, like catnip and skullcap, liferoot, passion flower, lobelia, marijuana, and hops, nettle, evening primrose, and raspberry. Of course, we did meet three roots, the aromatic roots of wild ginger, angelica, and dong quai, as well, but now, now, we return to the roots.”

                Read the rest here >>


For more wonderful articles visit: The Birth Institute 

 

 

Mother's Right Performance

MOTHER'S RIGHT Performance + Installation
September 7 at Richard J. Daley Center, Chicago

 

Chicago, IL (July 21, 2015) - This Labor Day, September 7, MOTHER'S RIGHT—a conceptual installation and performance piece by Michelle Hartney—will take place at the Richard J. Daley Center in Chicago, IL. As an ongoing project, MOTHER'S RIGHT addresses the United States' high rates of maternal mortality, postpartum PTSD, and obstetric abuse.

For the performance, Hartney is sewing 1,200 hospital gowns—one for every mother who died in childbirth in America in 2013. The folded gowns represent not only the 1,200 women who died during childbirth, but also the women who have suffered abuse at the hands of obstetricians and nurses, and for the increasing number of women who are being diagnosed with postpartum PTSD after giving birth. Each gown is hand silk-screened with the artist's drawings of the plant derivatives from the drugs that have been used on laboring women for the past 150 years, composed to resemble traditional hospital gown fabric. In preparation, Hartney will host a 'Sew-In' at her Chicago studio to create a portion of the gowns and to foster the community of men and women who are helping to raise awareness for this important human rights issue. In addition, Hartney has created a limited edition run of framed, 6 x 6 inch tondos—circular works of art—featuring the unique silk-screened fabric used throughout the project. The sale of these tondos will contribute additional funding for future iterations of theMOTHER'S RIGHT performance, which will aim to engage more artistic and cultural venues in 2016. 

In the Labor Day performance, several pairs of women will stand facing one other, folding the handmade gowns into triangles—similar to the way the American flag is folded at the funeral of a solider. The traditional flag-folding ceremony includes twelve symbolic folds, with the ninth fold symbolizing womanhood. These custom-made hospital gowns have been cut to a length where the fabric stops on the ninth fold.
 

According to the World Health Organization, since 1995, the maternal mortality rate in the U.S. has increased 250%—and is ranked at the top of all developed countries globally. In 2013, eight countries reported an increase in maternal mortality rates: Afghanistan, Belize, El Salvador, Guinea-Bissau, Greece, Seychelles, South Sudan, and the United States. The United States spends three times more money on childbirth than Great Britain, yet our maternal mortality rate is over three times higher. Among these numbers, African American women are four times more likely to die during childbirth in the U.S. than Caucasian women. MOTHER'S RIGHT seeks to bring awareness to these issues and to some of the basic human rights that are being violated on a daily basis in the United States.

DATE + TIME
Monday, September 7, 12-2pm

LOCATION
Richard J. Daley Center
50 West Washington Street
Chicago, IL 60602

RSVP To The Event Here

 

Backache in Pregnancy

An excerpt from Wise Woman Herbal for the Childbearing Year

Exercise for Backache

Cat/Cow can be practiced daily or whenever needed. Get on your hands and knees on a firm surface; inhale, let your head hang down and arch your back up like a cat; exhale, lift your head all the way up and let your spine return to parallel with the floor. Continue flexing the spine up and down while breathing rhythmically. This exercise can also be done in a standing position.

Knee/Chest Twists stretch the spine and keep it supple. Once a day, or when needed, lie on your back on a firm surface and pull your knees to your chest. Stretch your arms straight out to the sides. Roll your knees to the left and your head to the right; relax for half a minute, then roll your knees to the right and your head to the left and relax again. Repeat once or twice.

Also for Backache
• Chiropractic adjustments are one of the best preventatives of backache during pregnancy.

• Sleep with pillows supporting your legs, back and belly.

• Wear shoes which have flat heels and offer good support to the feet and legs.

Diet for Backache

• Minerals needed to diminish and prevent backache include calcium and magnesium. Refer to pages 21-22 for best sources of calcium. Magnesium is found in all fresh green vegetables, apples, figs, wheat germ, and all seeds and nuts, especially almonds.

• Lemon juice in water, up to six glasses daily, benefits the kidneys, easing backache.

Herbs for Backache

• Wheat grass juice is highly recommended for all ills, including backaches. The bright green juice of the wheat sprouts contains a plentiful supply of the nutrients needed to strengthen muscles, ease the nerves, and keep the spine flexible. To prepare the juice: soak wheat berries overnight, drain off the water, and spread the wheat one berry deep onto an inch thick layer of dirt on a cookie sheet with edges. Water the whole thing several times a day. Harvest the green shoots by cutting them when they are several inches high. Use a special wheat grass juicer to extract the most juice, or blend the shoots with water in your blender, then strain and drink the liquid.

• Nettle infusion is unsurpassed for toning and aiding kidneys.

• Comfrey infusion provides every vitamin and mineral necessary to prevent backaches. It is also rich in amino acids, the building blocks of protein, needed in plentiful supply for strong abdominal muscles and healthy babies.

See Appendix I for herbal sources of calcium, magnesium, vitamins, C, D, E, and B complex, all needed when backache is a problem.

First Aid for Backache

• Heat—a warm bath, a hot shower, a hydroculator, a hot water bottle, a towel dipped in boiling water—will provide temporary relief for most backaches.

• Tiger Balm, Olbas, Zheng Gu Shui, Wintergreen oil and other homemade or purchased herbal liniments and rubs can penetrate into deep muscle tissue to relieve tension and pain. They work best if followed by moist heat.

• St. John's/Joan's Wort Hypericum perforatum is highly effective at relieving backaches. The tincture is a specific for muscle spasms; use 15-20 drops in a glass of water every few hours as needed. For severe pain, add 3-5 drops of Skullcap tincture. The infused oil of St. J's has the unique ability to enter the nerve endings, relieving pain and easing any nervous system irritation. It works like a chiropractic adjustment, but through a different route: the nerve endings are soothed and the muscle is released, the vertebrae slide back into place. (See Appendix II for instructions on making St. John's/Joan's Wort tincture and oil.

An excerpt from Wise Woman Herbal for the Childbearing Year

Wise Woman Herbal for the Childbearing Year

Featured Website ~ Happy Within

Happy Within

experience a joyful, soulful pregnancy and birth

Hello,

my name is Nora Amala Bugdoll. Call me Nora, thats easier.

I love to help you experiencing a really joyful, fullfilling, uplifting, soulful pregnancy and birth. I normally do this work online and live in Germany – but I decided that I would love to share this to anyone who feels called.

Consciously experiencing your pregnancy brings you so much benefits:

• you can easily bond to your baby in pregnancy and enjoy this deep love and real  relationship
• you help your baby growing and being happy – and laying the basis of trust and love for its live
• you can react to stressful or fearful situations more easily and with more freedom
• you will experience personal growth
• you will probably love your pregnancy and birth as you do consciously and lovingly your best – it will nourish your soul

I am offering coachings via skype or google chat, courses and meditations and tons of love and ideas.

Visit the website at: http://happywithin.wordpress.com/

Featured Website ~ Flower Power Mom

Featured Website

Flower Power Mom

 

A CHILD AFTER 40 (www.FlowerPowerMom.com) is delighted to announce the launch of a 2011 free weekly Summer Series of Guest Experts & Authors Forums on motherhood after 40 for our Members.

Click here for Schedule: http://flowerpowermom.com/experts/ .

From 14th June to 23rd August, you're invited to LOGIN and "Ask Our Expert/Author" questions about their area of expertise. A full listing of Summer Q&A Forums is available in our weekly our Member's News Brief emailed direct to you.

You can also check out our NEWS ARCHIVES:  http://conta.cc/l1KqsV. Remember to look out for regular Summer Product Contest & Giveaways! Click here for info on Registration.

FlowerPowerMom.com—The Truth About Motherhood After 40 (http://flowerpowermom.com/), features real mom stories, expert advice and the first online community to empower all women on the journey of motherhood after 40. It’s online community, A Child After 40, offers free membership and support with “Ask Our Expert” educational forums on midlife motherhood—from fertility, ART, pregnancy, birth or adoption, to parenting after 40. Join us Summer 2011! 

 

Red Clover Harvest - Susun Weed youtube video

childbearing year - plant/flower/herb

I am a doula, I work with women through out the childbearing year.  I am interested in finding a plant/flower/herb that represents the power of women in this time of life.  I am hoping to use it as a logo and so want it to also be beautiful, maybe purple.  Any suggestions?

Thank you so much

~Annie

Annie Halton Marshall CD(DONA)
TLC Child Birth Services
186 VanDorn Rd. N.
Ithaca, NY 14850
[email protected]