Become a Birth Warrior!

In this Birthing From Within series, you will learn how to:

• Experience birth as a rite of passage
• Eat a sound diet, benefiting both pregnancy and breastfeeding
• Open your body-mind connection before and during labor with self-hypnosis and visualizations
• Build confidence in yourself and in your partner
• Ask questions and make decisions during the labor process
• Protect your birth space
• Tame your "Birth Tigers"TM
• Push your baby out naturally
• Welcome your baby
• Recover and develop postpartum plan
• Care for and feed your newborn
• “Give Birth from Within” even during a Cesarean and while using pain medication or other medical support
...and much more


In addition to Karen’s training with Pam England,(see www.birthingfromwithin.com) Karen is a NYS Licensed Massage Therapist, Certified Birth Doula and a Certified Maya Abdominal Massage Practitioner, working primarily with women and families who are trying to become pregnant and those who already are.



Classes will take place at the Berkley Center on Wednesday nights for six consecutive weeks, April 4th to May 9th 2007.


The series is $250 per couple.

16 E 40th Street NY NY 10016 212.685.0985 www.berkleycenter.com

“If I had my life to live over, instead of wishing away nine months of pregnancy, I'd have cherished ever moment and realized that the wonderment growing inside me was the only chance in life to assist God in a miracle.”    ~Irma Bombeck

Congratulations, you’re pregnant! You’ve waited so long for this moment. If you’re like most women, your thoughts are already turning to how you can maintain your health and balance through out your pregnancy and into motherhood.

Your body is carrying out a variety of changes all at once, as that little one continues to thrive and grow, week to week. These physical changes include an increase in the basal metabolic rate, breathing rate and blood volume. Also, as the body prepares itself to support a new life, additional strain is placed on the abdominal muscles, internal organs, back, legs and the weight-bearing joints. These hormonal fluctuations also cause emotional mood swings that range from joyous exuberance to intense sadness. Symptoms such as nausea, constipation, urinary frequency, gastric reflux, varicose veins, edema, lower back pain and general fatigue are also common during this period.

To ease this transition, many health professionals recommend massage therapy as a complement to prenatal care. Prenatal pregnancy massage is designed to alleviate many of the common physical discomforts of pregnancy and provide emotional support.

The Link between Prenatal Massage and Maya Abdominal Massage

Maya Abdominal Massage seeks to gently lift the uterus and guide her into proper center positioning. When the uterus is regularly attended to, most of women find their symptoms of peeing all the time, constipation, low back pain, and lessen swelling of the legs and feet. Women who receive regular MAM work also report easier deliveries, as the babies are regularly encouraged into good positioning. It’s easier to keep good habits of positioning than correct less helpful habits! Prenatal massage aims to alleviate the discomforts experienced during pregnancy through skilled touch and communication. This soft and gentle massage therapy soothes tired, achy muscles and joints. Careful attention and education is given to you about areas that must be avoided during pregnancy. Prenatal pregnancy massage also helps you to identify, isolate and strengthen the muscles that you will use during labor.

Another common benefit of receiving massage, whether you’re pregnant or not, is the reduction of stress levels in the body. Recent studies have indicated that a baby in-utero is put at risk when the mother is experiencing tension and stress. The fetal heart rate stays higher longer, when the mother is stressed. Regular massage encourages the development of gross-motor neurons for the baby as well as helping to prevent stretch marks.

       Together we embark on a quest for own enchantment. It will take us to a place where feminine is sacred, as are a lot of  other things as well. There we can become who we were meant to be and live the life we were meant to live....
       "What?" you say. "Me enchanted?" Yes, I say and don't act so surprised. You knew when you were little that you were born for something special and no matter what happened to you, that couldn't be erased. The magic could not be drained from your heart any more than Lady Macbeth could wash the blood from her hands. Sorry to tell you, but you had it right years ago, then you forgot. You were born with a mystical purpose. In reading this now, you might remember what it is. 

~Marianne Williamson A Woman's Worth

By Peggy Peck, Senior Editor, MedPage Today

Reviewed by Zalman S. Agus, MD; Emeritus Professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.

November 29, 2006
MedPage Today Action Points

* Explain to interested patients that this study suggests that only a select group of men will improve fertility with spermatic vein embolization.

* This report is based on an abstract presented at a meeting. These data and conclusions should be considered preliminary as they have not yet been reviewed and published in a peer-reviewed publication.


Review
CHICAGO, Nov. 29 -- When sperm motility is only minimally impaired by varicoceles, spermatic vein embolization may improve fertility, German researchers reported here.

Although the technical success rate was 99% in a study of 223 men who had the embolization, it was pre-treatment motility that proved to be the significant predictor of successful pregnancy, said Sebastian Flacke, M.D., of the University of Bonn.

One hundred and seventy-three men were followed for two years after the procedure and 45 reported that they were able to impregnate their partners, resulted in live births, Dr. Flacke said at the Radiological Society of North America meeting.

This weeks New Yorker has a note worthy article on the industrialization of birth.

With a Bath&Body Works in every mall, it's unlikely you haven't had a chance to experience aromatherapy on some level. Essential Oils can be a safe, easy way to calm the mind, ease aching muscles and less disturbed sleep. While there is always the risk of skin sensitivity, there are special concerns for women that are pregnant or are breastfeeding. Some can build up in the system over a period of time and potentially cross the placenta barrier to the developing baby. Others can possibly stimulate uterine contractions resulting in miscarriage or premature labor. 

Lavender is so commonly found from eye pillows to massage lotions, because in addition to its relaxing qualities, it is considered very safe for most users.

This is by no means a definitive list and others may be added, but as a guide they include:

The Doula and You by Karen Kelly

1. What is a birth doula?
A birth doula is a person trained and experienced in childbirth who provides continuous physical, emotional and informational support to the mother before, during and just after childbirth. Typically, I meet with the mother to be at least three times for fun, comprehensive sessions that help prepare the family for the birth. These sessions give us a chance to practice valuable pain-coping techniques, explore beliefs about childbirth, prepare for unexpected happenings and strengthen the bond between you and your partner as you prepare for birth.

It's been brought to my attention lately, that not everyone quite realizes how as a massage therapist, I go about working with women and their uteri. To start- the uterus, varying in weight from 2oz to 8oz (Eight 0unces!)each month sits nestled in the pelvic bowl in front of the colon, on top of the bladder. She is held in place by 14 different ligaments front to back, as we ARE three dimensional after all.

As the years pass we do silly things like fall out of trees, off of horses, swing dance, wear high heels, prove how strong we are to members of the opposite sex by lifting things we oughtn't, get pregnant, have miscarriages, have babies, fall down a flight of stairs, wear corsets (not always an issue), get into car accidents, play soccer, decide to take up running...etc...

We go about our lives not paying much attention to how these things impact our uterus, and most likely only pay attention when we're getting our yearly exam. There may be cramping, clotting, endometriosis, pcos, cysts, fibroids, amneroreah (yes, I used to be someone who couldn't understand why one wouldn't be greatful for the respite) and potential other scaring, pain during intercourse, weird circulatory stuff and down the line the dreaded "C" word. Many gynecologists and tampon ads will say "oh welcome to being a woman, just take some advil, or better yet synthetic hormones." (Birth control pills=a whole other post.)

Turns out there are lots of options out there besides over the counter pain relief and wishing and hoping for menopause. My area of focus as a reproductive massage therapist is first and foremost teaching women about what is going on in their bodies and empowering them to be in control and responsible for their health, while giving them tools to do such.

As a maya abdominal massage therapist (www.arvigomassage.com) I work to reposition the uterus externally, via the lower abdominal area, allowing for more productive, easier cycles, conception, labor and delivery, and menopause. Other areas on the body that are brought into focus is the upper abdominal-it is here that we have our major abdominal artery that provides blood flow for good digestion and elimination as well as supplying the uterine and ovarian arteries which branch off of it. In typical humans of this culture one of our first responses to stress is to constrict our diaphragm, making our breath shorter and more shallow. Guess what! The diaphragm wraps right around that major abdominal artery and constricts some of the blood flow. Now take a guess at how many people carry chronic stress! Which if you're still following, means they have chronically restricted and reduced the blood flow to their intestines ovaries and uterus. This can also contribute to things like high blood pressure, IBS, ulcers, and run of the mill constipation.

So lets turn over now. We're the gender with the hips, wiggle em proud! Starting in the lower lumbar region, running into the sacral region is where the nerves first leave their protective spinal column that send messages from the brain to--you guessed it! The uterus, the ovaries, and even those feel good areas.
Remember falling on the ice? well, you may have sustained an injury that torqued your hips. Not a lot, but enough to change the angle. Oh and then there were those great heels you couldn't part with...remember your lower back? And how sore it seems to get on a seemingly chronic basis? Well, those misaligned hip bones are going to change the way the muscles wrap around those super amazing all knowing nerves!

Questions, Comments Welcome.