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Join with your friends and family! For Southern Oregon Birth Connections 3rd annual Mother’s Brunch.  This year the event will be held Saturday 11 May 11-2 at  Havurah Shir Hadash, 185 N Mountain Ave, Ashland, Oregon Providing delicious food, beer, wine and mimosas, henna and massage for moms, crafts and face painting for kids, live music, raffles for the whole family all while spending time with practitioners and business owners in our local birth community.

     This week when I sat down to write, the most exciting thing I could think about was the return of the Great Release Challenge.  It may be silly, but, I have been looking forward to this all year.  Taking time to clean, reorganize  and re-prioritize while making room for positive growth.  Is there a better way to spend the last month of the calender year?
     This will be the third year, I have worked on the challenge.  Needless to say,  I again expect some activities to be more challenging than others.  Fortunately this year, I have gotten my family on board in part because 4 hands can be more effective than 2.  It is also a a catalyst for change in other aspects of our lives as well.
     In preparation, I have begun brewing some rosemary vinegar, which can be diluted in water and used as an all purpose cleaning solution.  When I make acetracts for cleaning I do not always go the extra step of sterilizing all glass wear at each step in the process.  Often I just make sure that the jar is clean, it is not necessary to have a lid, a piece of plastic wrap held in place with a rubber band also works.  Actually, when working with vinegar, I prefer this type of closure to prevent the corrosion of a metal lid.
I usually leave the vinegar to sit with the herbs for approximately 6 weeks in a cool dark space.  After it has sat you can make a stronger solution removing the original plant material and adding fresh or decant a portion of the solution into a spray bottle in a ration of 1;3 or one part vinegar to 3 parts water.  To further enhance the antimicrobial action of the cleaning solution, had 3-5 drops of a high quality essential oil to the spray bottle.  Remember to shake before using and always label spray bottles with the contents, and the date like I have done here.

     For those tasks requiring an more abrasive cleaner, my go to is baking soda.The bath tub and counters are not the only places I use baking soda, I also use it as a carpet freshener by adding approximately 1/3 c to a quart jar, to this I add 5 drops of essential oil.  Cover with the lid and shake well for a few moments add baking soda to 2 inches from the top of the jar.  Recover and shake again. To use sprinkle liberally over the carpet, I usually let it sit for 45 minutes and then vacuum thoroughly.

Here are many of my supplies ready to use and easy to take around the house to where ever they may be needed.

By taking time to clean out we can make room for new possibilities to grow and develop.

 The morning fog has yet to burn off.  A quiet fills the space and at times it can be uncomfortable.  The time when you are left sitting with yourself, as there is no one else around.  Yet, if we are open, sometimes we can  be objective and see where we need to grow, change or simply let go.  It is fine if these thoughts make you feel uncomfortable in your body, mind or spirit.  Learning and positive change are encouraged when we struggle or need to do differently because the thought of returning to the status quot leaves us feeling even more uncomfortable.  To help ease this discomfort, the next time you feel challenged take a deep breath and take pause.  A new path is probably right there, just out of sight that when not looked at is easily missed.  Be brave and take a step down that other way.  Success and riches are not guaranteed,  but if we learn from journey we have won more deeply within our lives.

     Autumn may have just started a few weeks ago, but with the changes in foliage color, a decrease in temperature and talk of holiday plans, we are reminded that winter is just around the corner.
In many homes including my own, with night time temperatures dropping down to the 30’s and 40 F, my husband has insisted that we get the heaters started.  After many months of not being used it is important to take a few moments to ensure safety and well being.  In houses that do not have central air, take a few moments and vacuum heating vents or have the duct work in your house professionally cleaned.  Do your heaters have air filters? If the answer is yes, do you know the last time they were changed?  If you do not know, it has probably been too long.  Take a few minutes to vacuum, and change air filters.  To ensure that you remember which filter your house requires, take a picture of it, or write the details down in your favorite memo program.  For those who heat with a fireplace or wood stove chimneys should be cleaned at least once a year and prior to use is a good time to ensure that they are still structurally sound and functioning optimally.
     In addition to these routine maintenance procedures, invest in a carbon monoxide detector.  This device a monitors levels of carbon monoxide, a gas which is colorless, odorless and potentially life threatening. It can be produced by the incomplete burning of  such as natural gas, kerosene, wood and others forms of fuel.  The carbon monoxide detector sounds an alert if the levels of this gas reach unsafe levels.  Carbon monoxide detectors are simple to use, you simply plug it in.  These detectors are widely available and as important  as a smoke detector.

Expecting a baby often leads to many changes and questions for a family.  One question that may or may not come up is what type of a care provider they will work with.  For many families, they believe that there only option is to deliver their baby in the hospital with an obstetrician or a family practice medical doctor.    Unfortunately, this is not completely true.  In many states including here in Oregon, families have options as to where they would like to deliver their babies, as well as the type of care provider.
 Options for where to delivery include at the  hospital with an obstetrician or certified nurse midwife, home or free standing birth center with a midwife, or a naturopathic physician licensed to offer maternity care.  More families may be asking more questions and making different choices with the recent publication of a new meta analysis published in the  Cochrane Review by Olsen and Clausen.  These researchers reviewed a number of published scientific journal articles and have found that  low risk families choosing to deliver at home are subjected to less medical interventions, and medically caused complications.
For families in Oregon considering delivering their baby at home a naturopathic physician certified in natural childbirth provides families a unique model of care which combines the best of midwifery care and traditional medical care.  These providers understand and implement the midwifery model of care in conjunction with the ability to diagnose and treat medical conditions which may develop during pregnancy.  This means that families benefit from 30-45 minute prenatal visits, with an emphasis on informed choice in regards to medical tests and treatment.  In addition naturopathic midwives pair knowledge of herbs, physical medicine, homeopathy and other modalaties with the ability to prescribe pharmaceutical medications when indicated.  In addition, when working with  naturopathic midwives, care does not need to end when your baby is 6 weeks old as with midwives or obstetricians.  Many naturopathic midwives, including myself work with families at all stages of life from before conception, through pregnancy, to caring for your new babies and with grandparents.
If you are interested in learning more about naturopathic midwifery care visit www.all-paths.com or call to schedule your free consultation today.

How time does fly over the summer, and what a fun filled one it has been.  Now that it is coming to a close, it is time to start making preparations for the time of being inside.  For reassessing that which we want to carry with us through the autumn and winter seasons.  I have been filled with a few new goals, which also means that I need to be sure I have adequate tools and reserves to be successful.  This need to clean out has been hitting hard, leading to some individuals in my household to feel the acute discomfort that I can best equate to the Elder Futhark rune Nauthiz.  It is a deep sense of discomfort leading to a need for making changes.  Some individuals may experience this feeling as depression, melancholy, anger or a host of other emotions.   It may be a readiness to change out one addiction for one that may be a healthier.   Haasova and colleagues recent meta analysis results published in the journal Addiction suggest that individuals working on smoking cessation had fewer cravings when they engaged in physical activity.  This may also be related to why an individual began a habit in the first place. For some individuals addiction arises as a need for escape, to be alone, or to be with nature.  Maybe it was a way to protect, to create a smoke shield so that we could remain hidden from others.  A way to dissociate and be away as a means of protection.

 For each individual, this threshold for separation from the world is different.  It is important for us to not judge where some one else is on their journey.  In addition, the end point, that feeling of  hitting bottom is as  individualized as the triggers that cause one to feel as though they need to separate from their world in order to cope with their circumstances.  We are able to see our own limitations and thresholds, but they are the only ones we can truly control.  For others, we may be able to see a glimpse of their journey, but we are unable to travel their journey for them.  At most, we can offer tools, or aids to be used along the way.  However, in the moment, only we wield our own tools.

  Fortunately, if we look carefully, we  can step back and see what tools are still working for us, and those we are willing to exchange. I know that this autumn time reminds me that I have choices to make,  what do I want to carry with me through the winter, and what needs to be cleaned out.  This year I knew I needed to add physical activity into my tool bag, and walking was not cutting it so began training for a marathon instead.  For me this helps me to clear my head and allows me a chance to connect with nature in a very tangible way.  

Enjoy the change of the seasons, happy autumn!