DabbleflyTM

Hurray!!!  I have started facilitating support groups with all you parents in mind...call for details, times and locations....

 -Breastfeeding support group

 -Postpartum support group

 -Children with special needs support group

 -Traumatic birth support group

These are safe, supportive environments to ask questions, get advice and feel heard.  These groups are open to soon to be pregnant, pregnant and postpartum men and women.

Go to this site for further details:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ladies_and_babies_tricities/

The role of a postpartum doula is fluid and multi-faceted...it is about providing care for a family in whatever way is needed...sometimes that is just as simple as light house-keeping and meal preparation...but more often it is about really listening...seeing the struggles and having solutions...it is about knowing where to find additional professional help if necessary, but also just knowing from experience how complicated a new baby can be...and coming prepared with a bag of tricks and tools to share...

I'm most like a walking baby-care book...what are all the recent studies and findings?...what are the milestones that can be expected?...is it normal to cry so much?...will the baby ever stop nursing?...how do I find time to take a shower?...is this a rash?...am I spoiling my baby?...

I can be your go-to gal... 

Current Availability: 

    - evenings & weekends for house calls

    - messages via email anytime

    - sessions via phone most anytime 

Sleep is the key to everything...if no one is sleeping...everything falls apart...

I will assist you in developing your personal sleep plan...we will find a method/approach that best fits your family and personal parenting approach... 

I have experience with:

    - fussy/ high need babies

    - babies with colic / acid reflux

    - flip-flopped sleep patterns

    - night terrors

    - co-sleeping / bed sharing

    - transition to independent sleeping

and more... 

Some first time moms walk into a baby store for the first time and nearly pass out from information over load...there are literally a bizzillion products out there professing their quality and essentialness...

I will accompany you on your journey of aquisition...locally or via the web...

Product by product I will explain: 

    - the uses

    - options/alternatives

    - affordability

    - and real need based on your life style 

So everything was purchased off your baby shower registry...and boxes are pilied up in your garage...NOW WHAT?...

Product by product I will assist by:

    - helping with assembly and installation

    - providing tutorial on proper use and safety

    - demonstrating techniques of use

Areas of special interest are:

    - slings and baby wearing

    - cloth diapers

    - swaddling 

So you are headed back to work...and the daunting deadline for finding childcare is coming at you like a speeding train....

I am a professional nanny...I have been through the interview process numerous times...

I know... 

    - what to ask

    - where to look

    - what to expect

    - local resources

    - what to require

and so can you...

Take charge of your childcare...this may be one of the toughest decisions you ever make...so feeling in control and prepared can help you be successful. 

Included with personalized coaching is a "How-To" manual for seeking childcare that includes a sample contract, how to have a household employee, and tricks of the trade from the inside-out

In many cultures, the placenta is considered part of the newborn.  It is considered a sacred organ and is carefully cared for and treated with respect.  I am excited to offer several different options.

Encapsulation

     Steamed with warming herbs & vegetables, dried and put into capsules.

Fresh Preparation

     Prepared fresh into a smoothie, or cooked into a favorite dish (ex: lasagna or roast, etc).   

Lotus Birth

     Never cutting the cord

This method is used to preserve the union between the newborn and their original environment.  It is thought to reduce the stress and shock of birth for the infant.  The cord is never cut.  The placenta is drained and salted daily to remove excess liquid and within a week or so the whole cord and placenta fall off together just as the cord stump would after cutting it at birth.

Burial

     Technical advise for planning a burial

This is considered a nice way to celebrate your child's birth.  It is usually placed under an existing tree or planted under a new tree.  This can be done right after birth or frozen and then having the child plant it themselves when they are older.

Prints

     Making an art print of the placenta's structure

The cord and its connection to the placenta looks like a tree.  Some feel that their child's personal "tree of life" is sacred and is best preserved in art.  A stamp is made of this unique shape by either using the remaining blood or drying and inking the placenta.

Placenta Tincture

Creating a personalized remedy

A tincture is made using a portion of the fresh placenta.

Hesono O

Preserving the umbilical cord as a keepsake

Adapted from the Japanese tradition, a keepsake is made of the cord in a heart shape or spiral.

En Caul

Preserving the membranes

When the baby is born with the membranes still intact it is called "born en caul".  Historically, this is a great omen and can bring luck and good fortune to the child.

This is a very personal choice and will be treated with the utmost respect and discretion.

PLEASE NOTE: The statements on this page have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These services offered are not clinical, pharmaceutical, or intended to diagnose, treat, or cure any condition or disease. Families who choose to utilize the services on this page take full responsibility for using the remedies at their own risk.

Below are services that I look forward to adding to my offerings as time and study allow:

-Infant CPR Instructor 

-Car Seat Tech

-Dunstan Baby Accreditation 

-Bringing Baby Home Certification 

-Elimination Communication Educator  

-Blessing Way Facilitator