matersum: handmade goodness

Sewing Cloth Pads for the Women's Shelter

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Thu, 06 Nov 2014 18:25:00 +0000

So today, I started sewing the cloth pantyliners I'd like to donate to a local woman's shelter. Thus far, I've made 10 7" liners.

How to Wash Cloth Pads

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Mon, 06 Oct 2014 13:49:00 +0000

Caring for your cloth pads is easier than you think. There are two main methods: 1) the rinse & store method, and 2) the soaking method.

1) The Rinse & Store Method

Like the title suggests, you simply rinse the pads thoroughly in cold water after each use and store them in a waterproof bag until laundry day. It is highly advisable to to not let your pads sit for more than 2 or 3 days to prevent mold growth (think wet beach towel forgotten!)

2) The Soaking method

Rather than rinse your pads right away, with this method, used cloth pads are kept in a covered ceramic pot filled with cold water. This water needs to be changed DAILY to prevent odour.

Washing your Cloth Pads

When laundry day comes, I like to do a quick soak in a 25% white vinegar / 75% water solution to kill off any germs for 5-10 minutes. Then I just toss my pads in with whatever else I'm washing. I use a gentle eco-friendly laundry detergent and additional vinegar in the rinse cycle.

Drying your Cloth Pads

Most of the time, I prefer to air dry my pads in the sun, this method is the 1) best for the environment, 2) bleaches any stains away, 3) kills any possible remaining germs. and 4) absolutely free. But sometimes, the sun just isn't an option. If I absolutely need to use the dryer, I always use a "tumble dry on low" setting.

That's it!

In my next post, I'll discuss issues cleaning cloth pads. Until then, pop over to my Etsy shop for some original Matersum cloth pads and have a beautiful moontime!

Cloth Pad Sale at Matersum!

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Thu, 02 Oct 2014 14:46:00 +0000

Matersum is happy to announce a sale going on in

my Etsy shop!

Why not pop over and say hi!

Etsy is upgrading their Review System

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Wed, 28 Aug 2013 09:35:00 +0000

I've been an Esty seller since its' early days setting up shop in 2006 about a year after Etsy was first created. Buying and selling online has changed greatly through that time and Etsy has weathered those changes with grace. Other systems have come and gone, or been stuck in time, but Etsy continues to innovate and create a wonderful community that keeps me, as both a seller and a buyer, a loyal follower.

They're introducing a new review system that I can't wait to dig into. Read even more about it here.

Pretty Cloth Pads

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Thu, 18 Jul 2013 18:05:00 +0000

Ooooh, pretty!

Cloth Pad Giveaway!

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Tue, 16 Jul 2013 18:25:00 +0000

To celebrate the Matersum Sale I'm having in my Etsy shop right now, I'm doing a giveaway for my fans! Want to get your hands on a brand new, Matersum first-quality certified organic cotton cloth pad?

You'll win an 8.5" certified organic cotton cloth pad in regular absorbency (natural coloured pad with purple thread) suitable to medium flow.

There are multiple ways to enter:

1. Blog about my giveaway and link to it here and then leave me a comment to let me know where to see it!

2. "Like" our page on FB and then leave me a comment here letting me know

3. Become a follower on Twitter (or retweet my giveaway) and then leave me a separate comment here letting me know!

4. Follow me on Pinterest and leave me yet another separate comment here

5. Join me on blog lovin here or here and leave another separate comment

Each comment gets you one entry in the giveaway!

The contest is open until Friday at Noon. The drawing will be held by random.org and the winner will be notified by email so make sure I can contact you!

Good Luck!

Sewing a few cloth pads for a friend

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Fri, 12 Jul 2013 15:43:00 +0000

Hello dearest friends,

Oh, I know it's been forever. "Where did Matersum go?" you asked. Well, I'm here. Just so so so heartbroken. It's been a very difficult year. My mom passed away in April of 2012. I had a surprise pregnancy in July 2012, followed by a devastating miscarriage in September 2012. At the end of February 2013, we lost an uncle unexpectedly and only a few weeks later in March 2013, we lost another uncle.

Friends, it's just been awful and Matersum simply fell to the wayside as I succumbed to my sadness.

But I'm tying to move forward now. And I'm trying to get back into the swing of things. And with that, I sewed an old friend of mine a few of her favorite Matersum pads as a little present. It's a cotton flannel pocket pad in a style I haven't sewn for sale since 2007, but it's what she likes and so I make them for her.

I hope to start sewing more often!

How are you, my dearests?

Feverishly Cathartic Sewing

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Sat, 18 Aug 2012 16:30:00 +0000

Many of you know that my mom passed away this Spring after a short bout of recurrent breast cancer. She first beat breast cancer 14 years ago and I was so thankful that she was with us to see me marry and have her grand babies. There was a time we didn't think she'd have been there for any of it. It brings me to my knees just thinking about it. We were given a gift of 14 extra years and I am so so so thankful.

Enough tears, my lovelies. Good things are coming to Matersum!

After a morning cup of coffee (and thanks to hubs for keeping the kids occupied most of the day!) I toiled away in my freshly re-arranged studio to produce some new pieces.

Oh girls, I was giggling, I tell you! The fabric was dancing in my hands, begging to be sewn with!

What is that GORGEOUS fabric you ask?

Well, though I have, in principle, abandoned the purchase of conventionally-grown cotton for environmental reasons, I broke my promise for Tula Pink. Tula, you captured my heart with your nightshade collection. If you could only convince FreeSpirit to offer organics, I'd be yours forever!

So after combining Tula's fabrics with some Canadian-manufactured certified organic cotton fleece (can you say YUM!) I made...

Wait for it...

THESE!

Now, tell me ... are these not the most fun Hallowe'en pads you've ever seen?

Oh my lovelies! This has been such a wonderful day!

But.

(Don't you hate 'buts'?)

I only have a limited amount of this most wonderful fabric. There won't be more that maybe 6 or 8 pads per print. And the portraits are almost certain to be one of a kinds!

So if there's something you like, you'll have to hop! hop! hop! quickly like a bunny to catch one while they're available!

They'll be available in my Etsy shop ~~tonight after my kids are in bed~~ probably Monday morning if I can take better photos! Message me if you want to reserve something!

Fun fun!!

Matersum is paused

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 10:51:00 +0000

After a brief battle with recurrent breast cancer, my mother passed away at the beginning of April. It has been a tremendously emotional time, trips to and from the hospital since February, caring for my kids, colds, flus, Spring.

MatersumPads is in mourning. Thank you for your understanding and support.u

A Healthy Future - Cancer-Reducing Choices

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 09:31:00 +0000

There is no single cause of cancer. From what is understood, it is primarily the combination of a lifetime of lifestyle & environmental factors. From the more obvious risks such as smoking, to more subtle risks such as slathering our bodies for decades in shampoos, conditioners, body washes, soaps, skin creams & make ups that are composed to carcinogenic ingredients, Cancer is everywhere, more prominent than ever. And when one in 2.3 Canadians will be diagnosed at some point in their lives, it's surprising that not more is being done to educate the population.

Making green choices is one the best ways to help reduce your risk of Cancer. It may seem silly, or trendy, but there are real benefits, life long benefits, to making sustainable choices. By reducing our exposure to known and suspected carcinogens over the long term, we give ourselves, and the planet, a fighting chance at a healthy future.

On a personal level, I started "greening" my life back when I started growing my own vegetables 15 or so years ago. When I had my first child over 6 years ago, I eliminated toxic cleaning chemicals and switched to baking soda, vinegar, and lemon to make a safer environment for my baby. I opted to cloth diaper my baby and, perhaps best of all, dedicated myself to breastfeeding.

Since those days I've made other changes, little changes, to help improve our environment and our health. I know it seems counter-intuitive in a modern life, but the result of three generations of progress being made in the name of convenience has shown us that not only is this lifestyle unsustainable, it's truly bad for our health.

BMatersumPads are my small contribution to making the world a better place. Reusable cloth menstrual pads reduce landfill waste, and if made from organic materials, reduce crop pesticides and other chemicals used in the production of fabrics. MatersumPads are made from quality, Canadian-manufactured, certified organic & earth-friendly cotton & bamboo fleece, handmade with love and care by me in my little studio.

Cheap & Easy Stovetop Pot-Pourri

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 11:50:00 +0000

Make use of those orange rinds you're about to toss and instead drop them in a pot with some water, a little vanilla extract and a Cinnamon stick on low/medium heat and you've got a virtually free aromatherapy & humidifier during those cold, dry Winter months.It smells positively divine!

Let them eat cake!

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 18:25:00 +0000

I went off on a fanciful twist this afternoon and baked! Oh, I often cook up all kinds of goodies in my kitchen, breads, cookies and other yummies, but today we fancied a chocolate-cherry cake! Kids in tow, apron at the ready, we headed into the kitchen!

We're still looking for our groove. Bebe#1 and I have baked together for a long time. But Bebe#2 wants to take part now and is still rather little. Sometimes, the simplest of tasks can help keep things running smoothly. :)

We used this recipe for the vanilla cake and doubled it to make it two layers. We took Vanessa's tips and used 1.5C of milk instead of 1C. and 2 tbsp. of vanilla instead of 4tsp.

The center is nothing more than cherry Double Fruit. Mmmmmm.

For the icing, I used this recipe and added just a little extra cocoa for a super chocolate kick!And of course, the piece de resistence : sprinkles!

Of course no cake is complete without a little cup of tea which was just about to boil!

Care to join me? :)

Why don’t Matersum Pads have waterproofing?

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 21:22:00 +0000

So you love the look of Matersum Pads and you love that they 100% certified organic or Eco-friendly but you’re scared to use them because there is no waterproofing. It’s okay. Read on.

There are a few types of waterproofing: synthetics like polyester fleece and PUL which are the most popular and natural fiber like wool.

As a dedicated environmentalist, I can no longer condone the use of synthetic fabrics. Derived from oil, polyester micro fleece and PUL will not degrade for hundreds of years once we toss an aged pad. It’s great that the pads can last 5 or more years, but ultimately they still end up in a landfill.

Wool, I love wool. But modern wool production can be a really bad existence for a sheep, much akin to the harsh conditions food livestock have to live in. Certified organic wool from ethical farms exist, but for the moment it remains prohibitively expensive.

To compensate for a lack of waterproofing, Matersum Pads are made with at least TWO TIMES the number of absorbent layers that most other brands of pads are made with. That’s a lot of certified organic cotton goodness! Used to only 2 or 3 layers of protection? Most Matersum Pads are made with 4 or 6 layers and yet remain less bulky!

So why not gIve Matersum Pads a try: they’re scrumptiously soft, exceptionally luxurious, highly absorbent and earth-friendly to boot!

A Lady of the Land

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 10:44:00 +0000

Most of you don't know that I am an apprentice herbwife. I have been growing my own certified organic flowers & herbs for a few years now and more recently harvesting them to make organic balms and salves. There is something tremendously... alive... about being a part of the process from growing, to harvesting, to creating a finished product. Oh, I will be an apprentice for a very long time, until I am old and gray I am sure. And every day I strive to learn more.

For example: collecting your flowers just before it rains to try and save them... will not save them. Lesson learned: patience, my friend. My supply of oils are dangerously low. The call of Spring is illuminating my heart! And while I sit on this cold, cold January morning dreaming of warmers days, I am reminded that I must have patience. Spring will come. The great thaw is just around the bend. I'll take this time to plan, as I should, on a cold January morning.

Soothe a Sore Throat Naturally

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 10:04:00 +0000

If you find yourself with a sore throat and are looking for a non-pharmaceutical way to soothe it, you might like to try this traditional remedy.

2 tbsp lemon juice (squeezed, preferably)

1 tbsp honey*

1/2 C of warm (not boiling!) water

You can play a little bit with the measurements to find what suits you best.

*Please remember to never give honey to a baby under 1 year old.

{ N O T E }

I am not a doctor and the above does not replace medical opinion. Please seek consultation. Matersum assumes no responsibility for your actions.

Share your Cloth Pad Story with us!

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 20:33:00 +0000

If you're a cloth pad user then you must have a tale of how you made the switch from throwaway sanitary napkins to washable cloth pads. And Matersum wants to hear about it!

Was it a long time ago? Was it yesterday? Did it change how you felt about having a period? Do you like big pads? Small pads? Thin ones? Thick ones?

Share your story (either here in the comments or link me to your blog post) and you could win a 100% certified organic cotton fleece cloth menstrual liner by Matersum!

New Stock Coming in Matersum's Shop!

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 21:06:00 +0000

I've been in the mood to sew. Tonight I made this fun little set of 4 Matersum cloth pads. They measure 7.5" long by 2.25" wide (when snapped). They're perfect for those light to medium days! Oh I love them so! These will also be in the shop this week!

7-Day Rainbow Pack of Matersum Cloth Pads

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 14:26:00 +0000

Over these Holidays, I took a little time away from preparing the magical festivities to sew some cloth pads. Sewing pads is 'me' time. I enjoy going into my little studio, blaring the music, and sitting down at the sewing machine. It's a stress-buster. :)

I love how this set of pads turned out. It's a 7-day rainbow pack of moderate flow MatersumPads! These pads are great once you've finished that heaviest first day but you still need adequate protection. They're made with top-quality Canadian-manufactured bamboo fleece, an earth-friendly fabric! These pads are easy to use, you just snap them around your underwear and you're gold!

They'll be available in my shop this week along with a few other goodies! I'll also be opening a few custom slots for those ladies who would like something more specific. I don't do this often, so keep your eyes open! Happy New Year, everyone!

Sewing a Child's Elf Hat

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 22:18:00 +0000

One of the "hardships" I've found to being a stay at home mom is that frugality becomes a necessity. With only one steady income, you can't afford to run out and buy whatever you need whenever you need it. On the other hand, being home gives one the opportunity to use creativity that would otherwise lay dormant.

My eldest has a "Winter Hat" Day at school coming up where they're encouraged to come to school wearing a festive hat of some kind. Well, we didn't have anything and I certainly wasn't going to go out and spend money for it so I took some light green jersey I had laying around (it was from an old set of bedsheets!) and I did use new red bamboo jersey for the rim. It was super quick to put together and, I think, looks quite elf-like! I think my kid's going to love it!

Simple Scrappy Flannel Ornaments Tutorial

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 16:54:00 +0000

I've got to hand it to all those crafty people out there who hand sew / embroider all kinds of lovely items. And goodness knows I've tried to do it myself :I've sat there patiently with my needle and my floss and gingerly stitched pretty little things. And I usually get about 3/4 of the way though the first thing and then promptly stop.

I know. I'm a little embarrassed about it myself.

I have one such unfinished piece, a purple fleece heart-shaped ornament hanging on the tree, the corner still open. My 5 year old pointed it out to me. She told me it was just like the blue wool heart sitting on my sewing table downstairs (this year's attempt!)

Oh the shame! :)

I wish I had the time and the patience. But sometimes we just have to accept certain things about ourselves and then look for the good. I want the cute little scrappy homemade ornaments, but I just can't do it by hand. So who said I couldn't use my sewing machine to zig-zag shut a half dozen little stars made from leftover holiday fabric? Well no one! And so my heart goes pitter patter with love for my handmade decorations, done à la matersum! :)

So, how to do it? The beauty of this project is that there are no rules. Just grab some scrap flannel, any size, really. Pile them 4 layers high (I tried with 2 & 3 but found 4 layers offers the best balance between solidity and bulk). I just took an ugly flannel (you know you've got some hanging around too!), folded it in half sandwiched it between two layers of pretty, festive flannel. Pinned it. Cut it. And zig zagged it shut making sure to add a loop of ribbon to hang it.

Et voilà! Scrappy handmade flannel ornaments!

Sewing a "Where the Wild Things Are" Winter Hat

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 22:17:00 +0000

I have a friend who shaved off all her hair last month for the Québec Breast Cancer Foundation. And if you know anything about Québec, then you know we're heading into Winter. As in, -35 degrees Celsius (-31 degrees Fahrenheit) Winter. That's cold! Her poor bald head's going to get cold. She found these instructions to make a "Where the Wild Things Are" fleece hat on Instructables and she asked if I'd make her one. "Why YES I can, my dear! It's for such a great cause!"

It took me a few weeks (I've been sick for - count 'em - 17 days!) but I finally got it done tonight. It took me about 2 hours, but I dilly-dallied as I went, belting out 80's grunge songs in my basement studio. It's been an awesome night. So you wanna see how it turned out?? I thought so!

You can't see all it's grandeur, but it's cream-coloured minkee (so soft!) with pink inner ears. It was so much fun to make I'm sure I'm going to have to sew some more! So what do you think?

Talking About Menstruation With Kids

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 20:09:00 +0000

The topic of talking to your kids about menstruation is going around and so I thought I'd throw in my two cents. As with any topic of some degree of social taboo, how you approach it with your kids will frame how they understand the subject for a very long time. You're nervous? They're nervous. You're shy? They're shy. In order to raise kids that are open, honest, and comfortable with themselves, we have to be the role model, we have to be open, honest and comfortable with ourselves.

Now, I make reusable organic cloth menstrual pads so you can assume that I'm pretty comfortable with the female body and all its functions. Yes ma'am! I don't prance around naked in front of my children, but I'm not shy about my body either. I'm proud of my body and all it has accomplished! They see me, they ask questions. When my eldest was very little, oh probably around 15 months or so, she started asking me what the pads were for. We talked briefly and age-appropriately. She was more interested in all the fun fabric! As she got a little older, two or two and a half, she raised the issue again and I went in a little deeper about how every month a lady's insides cleanses itself and the pads caught it so as not to make a mess. It was at this age she started choosing my cloth pad for me (I keep them under the sink just as you would a throwaway napkin or tampon). Now, at almost six, she's fully aware of the reproductive system and she's not ashamed. She's matter of fact about the whole thing. Mission accomplished! My youngest hasn't actually been as involved (she's not yet two). Different personality? Less sewing when she's around? I don't know. She's just not curious about it yet. But when she is, I'll be there to answer any and all questions.

My husband is the same way. He's comfortable enough with his body to not go running and hiding if the kids happen to walk in while he's changing. But he does make the effort to clothe quickly. Hop hop! The girls know girls and boys are different and it's a non-issue. My husband is probably my biggest cloth pad advocate, actually. He often discusses it with his co-workers and he's often surprised just how many women are uncomfortable about it (uncomfortable about menstruation itself, or that a man is discussing it with them, I don't know).

One of my goals in life is to encourage women. To lift them up so they can stop beating themselves down so much. Learning to be comfortable with our own bodies, with menstruation, is a fabulous step towards that goal.

So, how do you feel about menstruation?

Celebrate the Feminine: Menstruation and the Culture of Shame

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 12:56:00 +0000

I make cloth pads. Yes, cloth menstrual pads. These are pads you bleed on, wash, and then reuse. I know it might sound gross. And that's okay, we've been raised in a culture that teaches us that our natural, bodily functions (particularly female ones) are disgusting and the less said about it, the better. But it is the quiet air of contempt that has caused dozens of generations of women to forget their inner strength. There's a popular joke: "I don't trust anything that bleeds for a week and doesn't die." But there is incredible mystery and power in such an ability : We bleed for a week... and don't die! Imagine!

We get cramps. We bleed irregularly. We don't bleed at all. We bleed too much. We're weepy. We're overwhelmed. We're angry. We're happy. There are so many variations. But it is a tie that binds all women to each other and with the awesome creative power of the universe. And all this irrespective of whether or not you have - or want - children.

We are women! It's your choice!

So stand up. Be proud. Don't allow a culture of shame to bring you down! Celebrate the feminine. Celebrate YOUR feminine!

How do you celebrate your variety of feminine? Share your story with me!!

The Vaccination Debate

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 13:45:00 +0000

La mère blogue wrote this morning about the rising trend to not vaccinate kids. As a natural birth advocate, a breastfeeding activist, a cloth diapering/cloth pad using, attached mama you'd think I would be in the anti-vax camp. But I'm not.

I wholly support vaccinating the vast majority of healthy children (note: I said healthy children). The benefit of herd immunity protects EVERYONE. If too many people don't have the immunity, the whole system collapses and we become susceptible, as a whole, to a ton of diseases we'd thought we'd wiped out. I personally believe it's a case for the needs of the whole outrank the needs of the few.

That said, I do believe it's a personal choice. If a family thinks vaccinations are poisonous and dangerous, it's their right. If they refuse them, so be it. I don't believe in forcing people to do something they don't want to do.

We all have to weigh the costs/benefits. Each situation demands careful consideration. And things are a little different in Canada than in the States, I believe. First, we have public health care (lame though it may be at the moment). We also don't get 2 dozen vaccinations by the time we're 6 years old (as suggested in this article). At most I think my kids have had 8 or so. I know there's a growing trend here in Quebec to not vaccinate, but I need to do more research to find the reasons. Are they the same as in the United States? I don't know.

What I do know is that I'd rather my kids get a pick and not polio. I'd rather my kids get a pick and not Scarlet Fever. I'd rather my kids get a pick than get meningitis. Flu shot? That I don't bother with, though I did opt for the H1N1 flu shot when I was pregnant with my second. Was it necessary? Probably not. I agonized over that decision for weeks before finally choosing to go ahead with it. It's not always an easy call.

Where do you stand in the vaccination debate?

Photo courtesy of practicalpreppers.com

A Tale of Two Births

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 10:59:00 +0000

I 've tried to find my inner peace with the birth of my first because it doesn't serve me to dwell on it. But it nags at the back of my mind. In early 2006, I went into preterm labour at 34w. I was in and out of the hospital while the doctors spent two weeks trying to keep my baby in. By 36w2d I was 100% effaced, 0 station and 4.5cm dilated. I now know that it was all just very early prodromal labour, that my body just slooooowly works it way to delivery, but as a first-time pregnant woman, all I "knew" then was that 34w had been too early.

The nurse called active labour and told me that was the day I'd have my baby. Well, labour then "stalled". Again, I now know I really wasn't in true labour and should have just put my foot down. Without permission, the on-call OBGYN broke my water saying it was happening that day anyway. When that didn't work, well now they were on their 24h deadline to get the baby out. So they started Pitocin. I declined the epidural and then got lectured by the OBGYN who told me everyone gets it and if I didn't take it when the Anesthesiologist was around I wouldn't be able to. I still declined. I swear they upped that Pitocin drip on purpose. Nothing was happening for hours. By then I was writing in pain with a terrible, artificially-induced back labour. I finally did ask for the Epidural and got the snarkiest look from the OBGYN. The epidural was barely in and I went from 4.5-8cm and soon after I delivered (thankfully no c-section!).

But my baby was blue and suffered from sleepy baby syndrome from the epidural. She was whisked off to the NICU because her APGARs were low. I never got to hold her , but I didn't care, I was in such a daze from the drugs. I felt outside myself! Soon after the OBGYN gave a little tug to my cord and then yanked my placenta out causing me to hemorrhage. Yet more drugs, an injection to stop the bleeding, and 7 stitches later the assault was finally over.

We spent a week in the hospital because my baby just was not latching. I asked for help on how to breastfeed. Instead of helping, the nurses told me to supplement "just til my milk comes in." I was tired. I was stressed. I let them try. But my baby barfed it up! Go kid! When I got engorged from a lack of nursing, they gave me cabbage leaves without warning me that it could seriously affect my supply. My baby had a severe case of jaundice from not peeing enough due to not drinking enough. She lost almost a full pound (born at 6lbs 8oz., dropped to 5lbs 10oz.). Things were definitely stressed for this first-time Mama.

I'd had enough. We were finally cleared to go and I couldn't leave fast enough. For a long time, I let myself believe that how it played out was fine. That what was important was that my baby and I were healthy and happy, because that's what everyone told me. But the truth wasn't so. The truth was that we had many bonding issues. The truth was I was suffering from PPD. The truth was the the unnecessary interventions made by the OBGYN were responsible for the state we found ourselves in.

But no one wants to say that out loud.

I didn't get pregnant again for over three years because of it. But I knew, the second time around, that things would be different. I found myself a midwife and proceeded to have an entirely different birthing experience. My second was born in water at the birth center, without Pitocin, without an Epidural, without any interventions at all. She was born at 36w1d (yup, also an early baby!) and was 6lbs 8oz like her big sister. She never left my side, despite also having a low first APGAR. The midwife did her work right with my baby on my chest. The midwife let my placenta come out naturally and from there we were left alone to bond with our new baby.

The experiences were night and day. My second birth was the most empowering experience I'd ever had. I always knew that things could turn sour. I knew, especially with a mildly preterm baby, that we might need an emergency transfer to the hospital. But that's what a hospital is for: emergencies.

Birth is NOT generally an emergency and as a society we need to stop instilling the fear of the gods into women. With the help of my most awesome midwife, I learned to trust my body. And we thankfully came through unscathed. Peace on Earth truly does being with birth.