​Imagine placenta encapsulation as an insurance policy for your postpartum journey—a support when you need it the most. If the pills bring relief amidst the chaos, that's fantastic! And if not, they make excellent plant food.

Here's why it's valuable:​

• It's tailored with your own hormones for your well-being.
• Aids in rebalancing your body after childbirth.
• Restores depleted iron, minerals, and vitamins.
• Boosts your energy levels.
• Reduces postpartum bleeding.
• Enhances milk production.
• Can contribute to a happier postpartum period.
  
• May help lessen baby blues, postpartum depression, and anxiety.
  

When you choose placenta encapsulation, you're in for a comprehensive experience designed to make your journey smoother:

• Clear instructions for handling, packaging, and transporting your placenta.
• Convenient pickup of your placenta from your birthing location.
• Timely delivery of your placenta products within 48-72 hours (accounting for weather, holidays, and weekends).
• A helpful Postpartum Recovery and Placenta Capsule Guide.
• Authentic placenta capsules, thoughtfully prepared just for you.
• A keepsake of your baby's umbilical cord.
• Follow-up care from your placenta encapsulation provider.

Starting at $250, this is an investment in your well-being. Ready to take the next step?

​Book now at www.placentadenver.com

Even if you can't "do anything" about your child's upsets, empathize. Just being understood helps humans let go of troubling emotions. If your child's upset seems out of proportion to the situation, remember that we all store up emotions and then let ourselves experience them once we find a safe haven. Then we're free to move on.Empathizing doesn’t mean you agree, just that you see it from his side, too. He may have to do what you say, but he’s entitled to his own perspective. We all know how good it feels to have our position acknowledged; somehow it just makes it easier when we don’t get our way.
“It’s hard for you to stop playing and come to dinner, and still, it’s time now.”

“You wish you could have me all to yourself, don’t you?”

“You’re so disappointed that it’s raining.”

“You want to stay up later like the big kids, I know.”

“You’re mad your tower fell!”

​Why this encourages emotional intelligence:

•  Feeling understood triggers soothing biochemicals; that neural pathway you’re strengthening each time he feels soothed is what he’ll use to soothe himself as he gets older.
•  Children develop empathy by experiencing it from others.
• You’re helping your child reflect on his experience and what triggers his feelings. For little ones, just knowing there’s a name for their feeling is an early tool in learning to manage the emotions that flood them.

Little ones can't differentiate between their emotions and their "selves." Accept your child’s emotions, rather than denying or minimizing them, which gives children the message that some feelings are shameful or unacceptable.
Disapproving of her fear or anger won't stop her from having those feelings, but it may well force her to repress them. Unfortunately, repressed feelings don't fade away, as feelings do that have been freely expressed. They’re trapped and looking for a way out. Because they aren’t under conscious control, they pop out unmodulated, when a child socks her sister, has nightmares, or develops a nervous tic.
Instead, teach that the full range of feelings is understandable and part of being human, even while some actions must be limited.

• “You're so mad your brother broke your toy! I understand, AND it's never okay to hit, even when you're very mad. Tell your brother in words how you feel.


• “You seem worried about the field trip today. I used to get nervous on field trips too, in kindergarten. Want to tell me about it?”


• "You're so frustrated! Nothing seems to be going right for you this morning...I wonder if you just need to cry? Everybody needs to cry sometimes. Come snuggle with Daddy and you can cry as much as you want."

Why this encourages emotional intelligence:

•  Your acceptance helps your child accept her own emotions, which is what allows us to resolve our feelings and move on, so she is better able to regulate her own emotions.
•  Your acceptance teaches your child that her emotional life is not dangerous, is not shameful, and in fact is universal and manageable. She learns that she is not alone. She learns that even the less pleasant parts of herself are acceptable, which means that she is wholly ok, just the way she is.

Remember, rage doesn't begin to dissipate until it feels heard. Whether your child is 6 months or sixteen, she needs you to listen to the feelings she’s expressing. Once she feels and expresses them, she’ll let them go and get on with her life. In fact, you’ll be amazed at how affectionate and cooperative she’ll be once she has a chance to show you how she feels. But to feel safe letting those feelings up and out, she needs to know you’re fully present and listening. Assured that it’s safe, children have an amazing ability to let their feelings wash over and out, leaving them relaxed and cooperative. Your job? Breathe through it, stay present, and resist the urge to make those troublesome feelings go away. Your child instinctively knows how to heal herself.

• “You seem so unhappy right now. Everybody gets upset sometimes... I’m right here. Tell me about it.”


• “You are so sad and mad you just want to scream and yell and cry. Everybody feels that way sometimes. I’m right here listening and see all those big feelings. You can show me how mad and sad you are.


• “You are so mad you’re yelling at me to go away. I’ll move back a little. But these feelings hurt and scare you, and I won’t leave you alone with these upsetting feelings. I’m right here and you’re safe. You can be as sad and mad as you want, and when you’re ready, I am right here to hug you.”

​Why this encourages emotional intelligence:

• The nature of healthy human emotions is to move through us, swamp us, and then pass away. When we fend them off or repress them, emotions get stuck inside us rather than finding healthy expression. But children are terrified of their strong emotions overwhelming them, so they try to fend them off until they feel safe enough to experience them. Because emotions are stored in the body, tantrums are nature’s way to help young children vent.
• When we help our children feel safe enough to feel and express their emotions, we not only heal their psyches and bodies; we help them trust their own emotional process so that they can handle their own emotions as they get older, without tantrums or repression.

Emotions are messages, not mud for wallowing. Teach your child to breathe through them, feel them, tolerate them without needing to act on them, and, once they aren’t in the grip of strong emotion, to problem-solve and act if necessary.
Most of the time, once kids (and adults) feel their emotions are understood and accepted, the feelings lose their charge and begin to dissipate. This leaves an opening for problem solving. Sometimes, kids can do this themselves. Sometimes, they need your help to brainstorm. But resist the urge to rush in and handle the problem for them unless they ask you to; that gives him the message that you don't have confidence in his ability to handle it himself.
“You’re so disappointed that Molly can’t come over because she’s sick. You were really looking forward to playing with her. When you’re ready, maybe we can brainstorm ideas of something else to do that sounds like fun.”

“You’re pretty frustrated with Sam not giving you a turn. Sometimes you feel like not playing with him anymore. But you also really like playing with him. I wonder what you could say to Sam, so that he could hear how you feel?”
Why this encourages emotional intelligence:

•  Kids need to express their feelings, but they also need to know how to shift gears to find constructive solutions to problems. That takes practice and modeling on our part.
•  Research shows that simply empathizing with our kids is insufficient to teach them to manage their feelings, because they still feel at the mercy of their emotions. Teaching kids to honor their feelings as signals about things they need to handle differently in their lives empowers kids.
• All children need coaching to learn to express their needs without attacking the other person.

When you notice a negative pattern developing, recognize that your child has some big feelings she doesn’t know how to handle, and step in with the best medicine: Play. For instance:
For instance, maybe your four year old always wants Mommy. Instead of taking it personally, help him work through his feelings about how much he prefers Mom by playing a game where poor bumbling Dad "tries" unsuccessfully to keep him away from her. Dad gets between Mom and son, and roars “I won’t let you get to Mom….Hey, you just ran right around me!...You pushed me right over!...You are too strong!....But this time you won’t get past me!”
Your four year old will giggle and boast and get a chance to prove he can ALWAYS have his mom. He'll also discharge all those pent up worries that make him demand her.
Why this encourages emotional intelligence:

• All children experience big feelings on a daily basis. They often feel powerless and pushed around, angry, sad, frightened, or jealous. Emotionally healthy kids process these feelings with play, which is how little ones of all species learn. Helping your child “play” out his big inner conflicts lets him resolve them so he can move on to the next age-appropriate developmental challenge.
• Your child can’t put his deeper emotional conflicts into words; that’s tough even for most adults. But he can play them out symbolically and resolve them without even needing to talk about them.
• Laughter releases stress hormones just as well as tears -- and is a lot more fun.

Want More?​
Teaching Emotional Intelligence When Emotions Run High 
Helping Your Child with Anger 
Books to Help Your Child Develop Emotional Intelligence

Cesarean section births can be beautiful and empowering, regardless of how we got to that decision. Not everyone wants a c-section, but for one reason or another, it is a possible option to ensure mom and baby are both healthy and safe for delivery.

Here is the rundown of what you can expect in a c-section WITH doula support!

Once baby is born, there is an option to lower the drape to see baby immediately after the cord is cut, which is very exciting! One-minute delayed cord clamping is the standard in most hospitals now, but you may advocate until the cord is white and/or stops pulsating. Then, he/she will go to the warmer to be assessed. You may advocate for immediate skin-to-skin beforehand, so long as baby looks ok and doesn't need extra support. Dad can go to the warmer while your doula stays with mom. Dad and your doula can trade spots at the warmer, take photos/videos and bring them back to show mom (or a birth photographer can as well). They keep trading spots until you are all reunited behind the curtain, as mom gets put back together. Some ORs have the warmer within eyeshot of mom being able to see baby.

It takes about 45 minutes from delivery of baby for surgery to be completed. Baby and dad usually go to PACU before mom does, so it's nice to have your doula with mom for the remainder of the surgery. You may advocate to wait and go together, even having mom hold baby as you go to recovery. Mom will be wheeled into PACU (Post-Anesthia Care Unit) recovery room, where baby and dad are, ideally doing skin-to-skin.

Your doula can feed mom ice chips, start breastfeeding, and keep things positive. The nurse will do fundal massages every 15 minutes for those 2 hours as well, but with the anesthesia, mom shouldn't feel it too much, just pressure. Mom and dad can equally do skin-to-skin, if desirable, as mom sometimes will have the shakes post-surgery, and it can feel difficult to hold baby comfortably.

​After 2 hours in the PACU, everyone will go to the postpartum room. For those first few hours, mom will likely feel pretty out of it and may forget a lot of what happened, so it's nice for photos to be taken for memories. The nurse will make sure mom is staying on top of her meds for the pain.

A birth doula will stay for about 2-4 hours immediate postpartum, so once mom, dad and baby go to their postpartum room is when your doula typically leaves, but they can definitely stay for longer to make sure everyone is a bit more settled in and ready to rest. All babies typically fall into a deep sleep 2 hours after delivery.

Some things to discuss with your provider, if they are open to these options:

• No drugs to relax for surgery (more conscious)
• Dim lighting, with the exception of surgical lighting
• Music in OR
• Clear drape for viewing baby being delivered
• Delayed cord-clamping until cord is white/stops pulsing
• Placenta be saved
• Immediate skin-to-skin (mom or dad), so long as baby is healthy and doesn't need support from medical team
• Essential oils for calming/dissolve unpleasant smells
• Baby be breastfed in the OR
• Ask your doctor for a vaginal swab. When a baby goes through the birth canal during a vaginal birth, he or she is exposed to a plethora of microbes that help build a healthy microbiome. With a gentle caesarean, your doctor or midwife can collect a vaginal swab and wipe it on your baby’s skin and in his or her mouth. Another option is to take a swab of your vagina and wipe it on your nipples before baby breastfeeds.
• Ask staff to refrain from "shop talk" during surgery
• Baby be held by mom while being wheeled into PACU
• Any and all usual post-birth procedures such as cleaning the baby and weighing the baby are delayed until parents are ready
• A doula, grandparent, or friend are permitted to photograph the birth so that parents can concentrate on bonding (most hospitals will not allow videography)

"Self-care" isn't just some catchy phrase. Self-care is a process that's all about prioritizing your mental and physical health in a way that lets you achieve your goals. If you're a busy mom with kids to care for, that may sound easier said than done. Don't stress. Here, we share some simple steps you can take to make it easier to stick to your self-care goals.
 
Love in Motion Doula Services can help you successfully navigate birth and postpartum.

Set up a soothing space that will allow you to prioritize wellness. Start by eliminating clutter, which is proven to alleviate anxiety, and cleaning your home. Vacuum regularly to remove pet dander, dust mites, and other allergens. A Shark vacuum is easy to use. Just empty it after each use. After it's two-thirds full, it loses suction power, which means you'll have to vacuum more frequently to get the same result.

​Once you have a clean space, it's time to concentrate on yourself. Action for Happiness provides tips you can use to set your objectives. Once you have your goals, create a step-by-step plan to help you reach them. For example, if you want to prioritize healthy eating, you might compile healthy recipes and take a cooking class.

Staying connected with old friends can help maintain long-lasting friendships, provide a sense of familiarity and support, and promote mental health and well-being. Using a search engine to find old friends in Denver can be an effective way to reconnect with people from your past. By using information such as their name, school, or location, this can be especially useful when social media or phone numbers are not available. 

​When you create your step-by-step map to reaching your goals, include a timeline. For example, you might say you'll get your degree within two years and obtain your first job in three years. You can then use this timeline to check your progress, making sure that you aren't wasting time and that you're sticking to the plan you made for yourself.

Holding yourself accountable can be difficult, especially when you're managing a household and raising kids. Your personal wants and objectives may not always take priority. If you struggle to hold yourself accountable, this Master Class can help you improve. Tips include getting an accountability partner, recognizing signs of procrastination, asking others for feedback, and rewarding yourself for every success.

​When you're striving to achieve your goals, you may get impatient with yourself. It can be frustrating if you don't make progress as quickly as you'd like, for example. It's important to be gracious to yourself. Remind yourself that every step forward is progress. You can improve patience with yourself and others—a valuable trait for any mom--by practicing mindfulness techniques. This encourages you to focus on the moment.

Just because you're focusing on your personal goals doesn't mean you have to do it all yourself. Find help where you can. For example, a personal trainer can help with fitness goals, while a nutritionist can help with diet goals. If you're struggling to figure out your career path, a career coach can provide the guidance you need.

​Finding time for self-care as a busy mom isn't easy, but it is essential to your long term happiness. The key to success is having a strategic approach. By reconnecting with old friends, creating a healthy home space, and holding yourself accountable, you can create a plan for yourself.

*Article by Janice Russell*