Sweet Little Bum Diaper Cream

This article first appeared in the Sacred Pregnancy Magazine Spring 2013 issue

Choosing a diaper cream for your baby can be a tough one. You want something which is not harsh on your baby’s skin but at the same time you want it to be effective. Many diaper cream on the market are effective but the downside is they contain so many chemicals. The perfect solution….make your own diaper cream.

This lovely rich cream is so easy to make and is free of unnecessary chemicals. For this recipe, you will need organic coconut oil, unrefined shea butter, calendula oil and lavender oil.

Why these ingredients?

 All of the ingredients in this homemade cream are excellent for the skin and have healing properties. Coconut oil has anti-fungal properties and moisturizes the skin beautifully. Shea butter also contains anti-fungal and has anti-inflammatory properties. It soothes many skin conditions such as severely dry skin and rashes. Calendula is a lovely addition to this recipe. With its anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-viral properties it can fight infections and is gentle to the skin. Lavender not only has a beautiful calming scent it can help relieve skin irritations and has anti-septic properties.

The recipe:

1 cup of organic coconut oil

½ cup of unrefined organic shea butter

6 drops of lavender oil

1 tablespoon of calendula oil

1 or 2 tablespoon of beeswax buttons

So let’s get to the fun part!

Put the coconut oil, shea butter together with the beeswax in a measuring glass jug.

Pour some water in a saucepan and place the glass jug in the saucepan.

Then put the saucepan over a very low heat and let the mixture of coconut oil, shea butter and beeswax melt gently.

Keep checking the water level to make sure the water hasn’t evaporated completely or gets too hot.

Once the mixture has melted completely remove from the heat.

Add the lavender oil and calendula oil and mix well. You can use a whisk.

Pour in a clean glass jar and allow it to cool further before placing a lid.

Et voila! Your very own diaper cream for sweet little bums!

Birth: A celebration of life

I was asked recently to write a short blog for khoikhoi.co.uk as a guest blogger. Here it is:

I remember being with a group of women I have never met before and the conversation as it very often  does  turned to what do you do for a living?….After explaining that I am a childbirth educator, I added “I really enjoyed giving birth” To which an astonished young woman replied “Why would anyone enjoy giving birth?”

Her question got me thinking for a while….What triggered her to ask me this? What does our society, our culture teach us about birth? Are we expected to suffer during childbirth?

I can start by explaining the history of childbirth and what brings us to today’s current thinking about birth. How we have moved so far away from birth being a celebration of life to birth being the most painful experience in a woman’s life. Somewhere in between technology and scary birth stories, women have learned to disregard their inner feminine power and their birthing instinct. We have been taught that in order to survive labour, it needs to be actively managed by someone telling us what to do and a machine constantly telling us what is happening. I love this quote from Ina May Gaskin author of  Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth “ Your body is not a lemon. You are not a machine. The Creator is not a careless mechanic. Human female bodies have the same potential to give birth well as aardvarks, lions, rhinoceri, elephants, moose, and water buffalo. Even if it has not been your habit throughout your life so far, I recommend that you learn to think positively about your body.” Ina May’s words were for me a powerful reminder to trust my body and the birthing process. Like Ina May I believe that Nature couldn’t have got it so wrong otherwise we as a species wouldn’t have survived. The human race would have been extinct a long time ago as medical technology is relatively new.

I wholeheartedly encourage every pregnant woman to rediscover their inner birthing wisdom. It is already there deep within you, you just need to remove the many layers and allow it to come to the surface. Find ways to empower yourself through taking a childbirth class, meditate, keep a journal, gather your friends who will support and empower you. Let go of all your fears…you have within you the power to bring your baby into the world safely.

Visualization

Visualization plays an important part in childbirth preparation because of the mind-body connection. Every action is preceded by a thought. If a pregnant woman is afraid of birth, this will have an adverse effect on the birthing process. However, if she visualizes herself giving birth with ease and if she can relax and release any tension in her body she is more likely to have a calmer and easier birth.

A simple visualization combined with breath awareness

The following visualization is used in my childbirth preparation classes. This powerful imagery will help you prefer for the beginning stages of labour when the cervix is thinning and opening and also for the crowning stage. You can use the imagery during labour itself when the intensity of birth increases, just picture the flower in your mind and see it gently opening every time you breathe out.

Make yourself comfortable and close your eyes

Bring your awareness to the breath. Breathe in on a count of 4 and exhale to a count of 8. (Repeat a few times) Nice easy breath...

Each time you exhale, start relaxing and releasing tension in your body; starting from the toes and working your way up gently (ankles, legs, knees, hip, lower back, chest, shoulders, arms, fingers, neck, face and jaw)

Now you are ready to begin....

In your mind choose your favourite flower, any flower you like...

Inhale and as you exhale imagine the flower opening ever so softly

Each time you exhale, imagine another petal unfolding

Continue breathing follow your breath and with each exhale witness your flower opening a little more each time until it is fully opened.

Now stay there for a short while, see how beautiful it truly is.

When you are ready come back to the room and open your eyes.

Tip: Practise this visualization daily as you get closer to your estimated due date.

Birth Affirmation

Every day I change my can’t into can and make my birth wishes a reality

Every day I feel stronger and more confident towards my birth

Every day I am a little closer to meeting my beautiful baby

Birth affirmation is a powerful way to prepare for birth.
It guides your intention towards achieving your goal. If we follow this simple theory of the mind  that the body is only a physical representation of the mind i:e our thoughts. Then it only makes sense that every thought is followed by a physical reaction (internal and external).
By repeating your birth affirmations on a regular basis or even daily, they become your concious thoughts that create your reality.

My tip: write your own birth affirmation as it will come from the heart and it will set out your intentions in such a powerful way that it might just amaze you.

Secrets to a calm and gentle birth

Birth can be one of the most amazing experiences in a woman’s life, a time of great transformation and joy. The way a woman prepares herself for birth influences the way she will experience that birth. The secret to a positive, calm and gentle birth lies in its preparation. Childbirth just like any other big events in our lives deserves the same dedication and time we would invest in planning a wedding or a special anniversary. To truly prepare for childbirth we need to slow down the pace of daily life and dedicate our full attention to not only prepare for the physical demands of labour but also prepare for the emotional and even spiritual aspects of bringing a new life into the world. Birth is not just about having a baby; it’s also about becoming a mother, a father, about becoming parents and all the responsibilities and joy that come with it.

For a woman to birth easily, she needs to not only feel absolute trust in her birthing body but complete trust in those who are assisting and supporting her during labour. She needs to feel calm and happy with the choices she has made and probably most important of all she needs to be free of all fears and limiting thoughts.

My top tips for a calm and blissful birth:

·         Educate yourself about the birthing process. Read and when you think you have read enough, read some more.

·         Find out what is available in your neighbourhood in terms of childbirth preparation classes. Find out exactly what they offer, ask questions and choose the one that fits your needs.

·         Ask yourself: “what is my question about birth?” Most questions we ask have an underlying reason. This is why we ask the question in the first place. Do you wonder how you are going to cope with the intensity of birth? Or do you ask yourself whether you are strong enough to have a natural birth? Once you find your question, you can start working on finding a solution to your question. Adopt a solution-focused approach.

·         Find out what your options are concerning home birth, hospital birth, a freestanding birthing centre or a birthing centre within a hospital. What do they offer or not offer and weigh up your options.

·         Choosing and preparing your birthing nest: opt for a birthing environment where you feel most comfortable and safe to give birth. If the birthing place you would prefer is simply not available look at ways to create your perfect birthing nest. Be creative! Aromatherapy oils, pictures, birthing ball etc will help you feel more at ease.

·         Select the right care provider for you. Whether you choose a midwife or a gynaecologist you need to feel that this person is fully listening to you, what you want or wish for your birth. You need to feel that it is someone you can absolutely trust.

·         Spend time putting together a birth plan so everyone including your birth partner knows exactly what your wishes are. Be flexible too as birth can unfold in many ways so it is important to discuss your birth plan in advance with your care provider.

·         Your birth companion doesn’t have to be your partner or husband. It can be a close friend or a close relative. Someone who you know can support you during labour. You may even consider employing the services of a doula.

·         The mind and body are profoundly connected. What the mind sees the body will simply follow. One of the most effortless and pleasurable way to prepare for childbirth is through relaxation and creative imagery.

·         Spending time bonding with your unborn baby will not only bring you great joy but also plays a crucial role in your baby’s cognitive development and connection to life outside of the womb. Why not do it together with your partner? There are many CDs on the market which uses simple guided meditation and visualization to help you bond with your little one.

·         Read or listen to positive birth stories which will inspire and empower you. Do not be tempted to read or listen to birth stories which will only feed your fear or cause you to have doubts in your own birthing abilities.

·         Keep a journal, scribble, draw and even paint. Let your creative juices flow! You will be amazed how much of your innermost thoughts and emotions you will uncover. Perhaps even discover inner strength that you were not consciously aware of. If on the other hand you uncover a negative image, emotion or thought concerning birth, replace it with a positive image or thought.

·         Write you own birth affirmation. It is a powerful tool when it comes to strengthening the mind and projecting your intention. A birth affirmation can be one line, a paragraph or a whole page! The choice is yours.

Creating your own calm and gentle birthing experience doesn’t have to be stressful. It only requires a little time and effort.