Living Life in Bloom

  My sister Hella met her husband Mike at the climbing wall at the University of North Texas. Climbing and bouldering together cemented their relationship, kept them strong and provided stress relief during grad school and beyond. When Hella became pregnant with their first child, she kept climbing.  The photo featured in this post shows her bouldering at about 5 months' gestation. Mike also proudly shares a video of Hella climbing a 5.11 at the gym, at full term and 3 days before she gave birth. (She wore a special harness to support her pregnant body for climbing.) Climbing was a way for Hella to feel alive and healthy during her pregnancy. As a doula, I look at the photos of her and see her building strength in her pelvic floor, hips, core and full body. I see her opening her pelvis for birth through the natural motions of climbing. Other pregnant people find that walking, yoga, or biking keep them feeling well. Some love dancing or swimming. Talk to your midwife or doctor...

One of my favorite mom memories is when little Juliana (just shy of age 3) picked up baby Charlotte from her bassinet, carried her to the living room, and plopped her on the floor. At first I thought Julie had just brought one of her dolls out to play with. Imagine my surprise when I realized it was not a doll but rather my precious newborn! Both of them seemed perfectly content, by the way. To this day, I have no idea how Julie – who wasn’t even as tall as the bassinet – managed to get Charlotte out and carry her down the hall. Another favorite memory is of tandem nursing. Julie enjoyed nursing until she was somewhere between 3 and 4. Cuddling Julie on one side and Charlotte on the other seemed to be the penultimate experience of motherhood to me. Oxytocin is a beautiful thing. And when I was birthing baby Philip: Charlotte (age 15 months) visited for a bit at the birth center while Julie (age 4) swam in the expansive birthing pool with me while I labored. She eventually fell asleep,...