The Perineum & The Placenta

37 Weeks!!!

I know our Love Child will come soon, I can feel my bones starting to shift and my body wants to slow down.  Within the next few weeks we will have a new Baby in our home.  So delightfully exciting!

I am preparing myself the best I know how and that involves my perineum and my placenta.  Perineal massage worked for me with our first 2 children, no rips or tearing, thank goodness!   Karin Rose, a mother and "kitchen witch" blends an amazing almond oil, solar infused with calendula, chamomile and rose petals, created just for the sensitive yet powerful massage that can help your baby pass through you while you stay intact.  A dear friend of mine, Joanna Papatsani of Golden Wings Wellness, gifted me a coconut oil blend infused with essential oils for perenium massage and stress relief. I have been using them both, starting around 34-35 weeks to allow ample time to make sure the delicate tissue is as supple as possible.  Massaging yourself is a great alternative to a painful tear or episiotomy that can leave uncomfortable scar tissue.  During labor make sure you have your doctor/ midwife/ or birth partner help you with this and remember you can use any edible oil including castor oil.  You do not need a fancy infusion, but it is a nice treat if you have the option and you can make your own blend.

Along with taking care of my body I know first hand how important it is to take care of my mental well-being.  I had post-partum anxiety with our 2nd, which was really awkward for me as a "yoga teacher".  Honestly I had never experienced anxiety before and it really took me for surprise and on an unpleasant journey.  I loved my baby boy from the moment I delivered him but I was grumpy and irritable with my husband and 2 year old daughter.  I felt weird, something was off.  Finally with the help of acupuncture and positive life-coaching I was able to ground and find peace.  I plan to avoid that huge hormonal crash this time by having my placenta encapsulated.  In fact I plan to take a little piece and make a placenta smoothie to really boost the positive hormone balancing effects.  Sometimes I hear or read comments that express encapsulating your placenta as yucky or gross.  For me being an un-fun, moody, wigged out, mama is yucky and gross.  If ingesting my placenta like most land mammals do can avoid a mood disorder, sign me up!  My go to girl for placenta encapsulation in the San Diego area is Trisha Olow at Zoe Bella Birth Service, check her out http://zoebellabirth.com

With a Belly full of Love,

Jen