Come Help Us Set A World Record!

The Great Cloth Diaper Change is happening all over the world on Sat. April 23rd. I am one of the hosts for a location in Chandler, AZ. The Change will be happening in AZ at 9:30 a.m. the morning of the 23rd. We will be setting a world record for the most cloth diapers changed at one time. Our accomplishment will be displayed in the Guinness Book of World Records.

Come out and help us set this record! Participants with babies and toddlers under 39 inches, please join us. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. and ends at 9:15 a.m. No registrations able to be excepted after 9:15. If you have more than one child, please bring along someone who can help look after them as they cannot come into the diaper changing area (sorry that's a Guinness stipulation).

We'll have prizes and giveaways and come also to learn about placenta encapsulation.

The event will be hosted at Tumbleweed Park near the Playtopia. If you're not in the Phoenix area, check out http://greatclothdiaperchange.com/ for a location near you.

For more information about the change here in Chandler, AZ, visit our Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=153398258055825.

ACOG Embarasses Itself Again

It's no surprise that ACOG lacks a serious misunderstanding of how to care for a laboring woman, but check out this article regarding ACOG's April Fool's joke. It's so pathetic they pulled if off the internet quickly.

http://blogs.babble.com/being-pregnant/2011/04/01/acog-press-release-april-fool-brings-up-real-womens-rights-issues/

What's It Going to Take?

The fear of birth is so prevalent in our country. Other cultures do not fear birth in the same way that we do in the United States. Where do you think it comes from and what steps are necessary to get rid of it?

Placenta Research

Great information on placenta encapsulation! Includes research studies on the benefits of the placenta. Fascinating!
http://mommyfeelgood.wordpress.com/

Owen Wilson's Baby Born At Home

I loved hearing about this! Rumor has it Owen Wilson's baby was born via a homebirth at his Maui home. I love hearing about celebrity homebirths. Congrats to them!

Read more about it:
http://www.drmomma.org/2011/01/owen-wilson-jade-duell-welcome-new-baby.html

What You'll Receive if You Encapsulate with Me

Hello Ladies!

It's no secret I'm a fan of placenta encapsulation! I absolutely love to do the encapsulation process. It's rewarding and I believe in it strongly. Here's what you'll receive when you encapsulate your placenta with me.

You will receive a satin pouch with a momento of your baby's umbilical cord dried in either a heart or wreath shape.

100-150 professionally encapsulated placenta pills.

A brochure on the benefits and information about placenta encapsulation. Also, a dosage information card and nice jar to store the capsules in.

If you choose to encapsulate your placenta, you may experience benefits such as:

• increased energy
• increased lactation
• decreased fatigue
• decreased baby blues
• less risk of postpartum depression
• less postnatal bleeding
• a shortened recovery period
• a uterus that returns to pre-pregnancy size quicker
• an easier postpartum recovery

I come to your home to prepare the placenta with my professional grade supplies. I leave you with no extra work and I clean the entire workspace before and after the process. I have been trained in the TCM method of encapsulation by PBI- the only certifying and training organization in the world. I maintain strict OSHA standards of handling the placenta and I maintain current food handler safety certification from the state.

If you're interested in having an easier postpartum recovery by encapsulating your placenta, I'd love to speak with you and answer any questions you may have. Please feel free to contact me at azbirthdoulas@gmail.com. I look forward to speaking with you!

My T Shirts Have Arrived!

I'm excited to announce that the T shirts I ordered for my business have arrived. I've included pictures below. For ordering something online, they sure turned out nice. I'm just relieved they fit!

The last one I order from Vistaprint of all places and it's my favorite. It's more of a comfortable T shirt feel, and it has my logo!

The other two I ordered from http://www.spreadshirt.com/. I couldn't figure out how to upload my logo to them, which is why I did Vistaprint for the other one. Making the top two shirts was super easy though and lots of fun. The shirts have a little more of a starchy feel, but maybe after I wash them...

Natural Awakenings Article

A recent article of mine was published in Phoenix's local Natural Awakenings magazine. I have loved this magazine for quite some time, so this was certainly an honor.

Here is the article for those of you interested:

The Benefits of Placenta Encapsulation

The placenta is an organ responsible for nourishing the baby during pregnancy. Often referred to as the “afterbirth,” the placenta is birthed following the baby. The placenta is typically considered medical waste following a hospital birth, yet recent attention has been turned to the potential benefits the placenta can contain for the new mother.

The placenta has been revered in many cultures throughout history and has been used medicinally in Traditional Chinese Medicine for centuries. The placenta is rich in hormones and nutrients, particularly B vitamins and iron.

Placentophagy is the act of consuming the placenta following delivery. This behavior is practiced by almost every mammal. While some women do experience the desire to ingest the placenta following delivery, most are not accepting of this idea. This is where placenta encapsulation becomes relevant.

For women who cannot fathom ingesting their own placentas, there is another way. The placenta can be prepared and placed into capsule form. There’s no taste to the capsules. Women do not have to see or handle the placenta, in fact, the preparation process can be completed before mom and baby are even home from the hospital.

The benefits of placenta encapsulation include:

• Replaces lost hormones, iron, and nutrients

• Increases energy

• Eases postpartum recovery

• Shortens postpartum bleeding time

• Assist the uterus in returning to pre-pregnancy size

• Promotes lactation

• Decreases incidence of postpartum depression

• Combats anxiety

• Improves cognition

Placenta encapsulation eases the transition into motherhood, making the “babymoon” period the best it can be. First, the placenta is prepared, steamed, and then dehydrated. It is then finely ground and placed into capsules. The capsules last indefinitely, and can even be frozen and saved for menopause.

For more information, please visit www.azplacentaencapsulation.com.

Elizabeth Blitz is the owner of AZ Birth Doulas, LLC. She is a registered nurse, birth doula, and placenta encapsulation specialist. For more information, visit www.azbirthdoulas.com or call 480-678-9574.

If you were lucky enough to get a copy of December's issue, the original article can be found on page 36. An ad for my services will be appearing in this publication monthly.

What Scares You The Most?

What Scares You The Most About Birth?

Keeping in line with my post yesterday, I want to know what scares women about birth. Is it the lack of control, fear of the unknown, overwhelming, fear of safety or fear of something going wrong, fear of pain, fear of inability to cope?

I'd love to know your experiences. What scares you about birth?

An Epiphany

I had an epiphany of sorts the other day as I was talking to my husband.

I wondered what it was that keeps women reliant on hospitals. I believe that if women truly realized how wonderful (and safe) birth can be at home, why would they choose differently?

Then it hit me! Because we've been conditioned to be scared to give birth! This fear of birth is so permeated throughout our society that women feel they need the hospital in order to have a safe birth. Too many of us are not aware of the scientific research regarding birth. If we were, we would know that hospital birth is not as safe as believed, and home birth is in most likelihood safer.

Women have this reliance on a system that we've mistakenly believed to be safe. We've been purposefully lied to.

So, what would cause a woman to take back her rights regarding her birth and not simply be a bystander at her own birth?

My answer is if her fear was gone. Fear can be debilitating. Many woman use avoidance to cope with the fear instead of taking charge of her own experience.

So, fear is where we need to address this situation. Fear is at the core of this problem. Perhaps, I have just found my life's work.

I want every woman to experience her true power during her birth. I want to support her to have a fearless birth.

More on this to come...