Sweet Peas, Pods & Papas: All About Birth, B@@bs & Babies
Krystyna Bowman, AAHCC with Darcy Newlin: Posted on Wednesday, February 01, 2017 6:08 AM
I am so excited to kick off our new VLOG series, "Ask the Doula". I will be inviting area doulas to come in and answer our reader questions so that you can get a feel for all the different things a doula can bring to your pregnancy, your birth space, and the support they offer throughout the childbearing year.
I invited my friend and colleague Darcy Newlin to join me and answer our first question, "What is a doula's role at birth?"
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Krystyna Bowman with Michelle Ludwig: Posted on Tuesday, January 17, 2017 4:27 AM
Here is PART II of our VLOGS with guest doula, Michelle
Ludwig from Modern Mama Doula Services.
Last week, she showed us herTOP 5 picks for postpartum. Today she is going to share her DIY tutorial for you to make
soothing postpartum “padsicles” right at home during pregnancy so that they are
ready for you when you are home holding your sweet pea!
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Krystyna Bowman, AAHCC with Ashley Anders: Posted on Friday, October 07, 2016 7:36 AM
Welcome to this month's installment of "Meet the Doula". This month I have the pleasure of introducing you to one of the Valley's postpartum doulas, Ashley Anders. I had the pleasure of meeting Ashley at an ICAN meeting last year, and I am happy to say we have kept in touch. She is honored to serve her families, and as such, Ashley is dedicated to furthering her own education so that she can better serve her clients. I hope you enjoy our feature with our October 2016 doula: Ashley! |
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Krystyna Robles-Bowman, AAHCC: Posted on Friday, February 05, 2016 6:46 AM
I met Michelle Cordero last year when we both participated in PB&J Events' Pregnancy + Baby Fair. She is a wealth of information about infant massage, an amazing tool to help parents bond with their Sweet Peas. Infant massage can also help with common hurdles in the childbearing year: fussy tummies, teething, and bonding with siblings, to name a few.
What makes Michelle's classes unique is that she is willing to work with families who have toddlers. Most Infant Massage classes only welcome families with non-mobile children, making you ineligible once your Sweet Pea is 6-months old. |
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Krystyna Robles-Bowman, AAHCC: Posted on Friday, October 23, 2015 6:27 AM
I am going to direct you to THISarticle about how oxytocin helps to reduce stress and
promote peace. It's no surprise that oxytocin is
the same hormone that is released when we make love, arguably a great stress
reliever and a promoter of peace for couples. A lovely consequence of making love when the timing is right: welcome, baby, some 36+ weeks later!
In addition to being the “love” hormome, oxytocin is also produced in great
quantity when a woman is in labor. The
hard contractions can only happen if the woman’s body is producing ample
oxytocin. |
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Krystyna Robles-Bowman, AAHCC with Jen Hoeprich, LM, CPM, C.Ht.: Posted on Tuesday, February 24, 2015 11:51 AM
Here is the video with the answer to today's question. Keep scrolling for more of the information we learned in our Bonus Class with Jennifer, and for links to on-line meditation resources!
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Krystyna Robles-Bowman, AAHCC: Posted on Tuesday, June 10, 2014 4:50 PM
I had the pleasure of meeting Sara at MommyCon Phoenix last year (April 2013). Since then, we have reconnected in on-line forums and kept in touch. I am thrilled to be able to feature her as June's Doula of the Month.
About Sara: I'm passionate about supporting women in their birth choices and through labor and delivery. I am a birth activist, lactivist, essential oil lover, garden growing, crafter, and stilleto-wearing granola-momma lover of all things holistic and naturaopathic. |
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Krystyna Robles-Bowman, AAHCC: Posted on Tuesday, May 27, 2014 9:38 AM
I say it every session – it’s hard to believe we are coming
down to our last week in our Bradley Method® class. This Friday is the last class for our Spring 2014 class series!!
One of the questions that came up in Class 11 was about comfort,
or lack thereof, after meals. To answer
this question, let’s look at what happens to the pregnant body:
Color image via flickr: Papier Mache Models of Pregnant Woman At the Boston Science Museum, in Boston, MA
Do you see the difference in the stomach between the two
images? |
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Krystyna Robles-Bowman, AAHCC: Posted on Sunday, May 25, 2014 10:16 PM
Whether you have a long labor, a short labor, or something in between, there will come a time when you have to draw within yourself to gather the energy you need to see your birth through. This was definitely my favorite affirmation - mantra really - as we hit the point in labor when there was barely time to let go of all the tension before another contraction started again.
I envisioned the energy around me as a vortex, and as I inhaled I swirled energy into me and as I exhaled I sent all my tiredness and tension away. |
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Krystyna Robles-Bowman, AAHCC: Posted on Tuesday, April 15, 2014 8:06 AM
The main topic of our Bradley Method® class on Friday night was the first stage
of labor. Through the course of class
and discussing labor techniques, one of our students asked if we had used a
birth tub, and was it a wonderful as they have heard. I had to answer honestly, “I don’t know!”  What we do know and teach as part of the Bradley Method® curriculum is that water
IS an effective labor tool for pain relief.
It is one of several comfort measures we discuss. (Side note: It has many applications besides
labor – think of the whole philosophy and practice of hydrotherapy. |
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