Dear Kade,
On the night you were born, I was awoken at 11pm with what I thought was a pretty strong braxton hicks. About ten minutes later I had another and my bag of waters broke. I was 38 weeks pregnant and 4 days. Many thoughts came rushing into my head. "Could this be it?" I thought, "Was that really my water breaking or I did I just pee myself?", "Only 10% of labors start with water breaking.", "Wholly crap is this it!" After about four or five more contractions that hour with a slow leak I knew that it was it. Our birth process had begun and I would meet you soon.
That second hour the surges began to get really close together. The sensations were strong, stronger than I had anticipated with labor just beginning. I woke your daddy up and then had a big cry. I had a moment of real doubt and I wasn't sure if I would really be able to birth you naturally. The contractions were getting intense fast. But your daddy told me that I was doing it and that we would meet you soon. At that point during each contraction I got on my hands and knees and rocked back and forth. We called our doula, Julie, and she headed to our house. We started gathering our things and packing our bags, because of course I hadn't packed for the hospital yet! As we were packing my contractions were getting stronger and more intense, they were two minutes apart and I knew labor was going really fast. We decided it was time to leave for the hospital so we called our doula back to have her meet us at the hospital. I went through transition during our 45 minute drive to the hospital, leaning over your car seat in the back of daddy's car, moaning and rocking to help me cope with the pain. Daddy kept reminding me to stay focused on my breath and that really helped me then. When we finally got to the hospital our doula met us outside. She knew just what to say and do to help me relax as we made our way up to the birthing suite. I started to feel a lot of pressure and once I was checked by the nurse at 3:00pm my cervix was completely dilated and I was ready to push. While I was pushing you were having a little bit of trouble. Your heart rate was low and it worried the OB and midwife, they were both there because my midwife arrived just before you were born. They gave me oxygen, an IV, and helped me change positions to help give you more oxygen. I started talking to you and telling you it was safe to be born now.  You were born shortly there after and they put you on my chest and you were so beautiful. You had surprised us all because you were so healthy and pink with 9 9 Apgars. Maybe your heart rate was low because you were just as shocked as we were that you came into the world so fast?
Your daddy and I were so happy you were here. I had waited so long to meet you and I instantly fell in love with you. You were born at 3:31am, weighed 6lbs and 6 oz, and were 18 1/2 inches long. You were the cutest baby I had ever seen!
xoxo
Love,
Mama

Jolynn will be out of the office on Maternity Leave from Monday November 11th- January 31st. She will begin taking massage appointments on Saturday February 1st, 2014 and new doula clients with due dates May 2014 and beyond.

While she is on leave please feel free to call and schedule your massage appointment with Hannah or with Jolynn in advance for when she returns to the office.

The Womb Wellness Center will remain open while Jolynn is on Maternity Leave! Hannah will continue to be available for massage appointments on Mondays and Wednesdays. She specializes in Rehabilitation massage, Deep tissue, and Wellness massage. She is also happy to offer Wellness massage for fertility clients and Prenatal massage for mamas to be.

Just as the leaves are changing color I am finding myself shifting and changing getting ready to shed my maidenhood as I transition to mother. I am preparing my nest and feeding my soul. Which means I am slowing down, honoring my body by resting and nourishing myself and my baby. I find joy in walks in the woods, practicing yoga, receiving a rejuvenating massage and getting chiropractic adjustments. At home I listen to music and make time to curl up with a book and a cup of hot herbal tea. 

At 35 weeks, I am thinking more and more about my upcoming birth. As I explore my wishes, anxieties, and excitement I feel something huge is happening. Or is about to happen. Like I am on the brink of this massive change. I am not just going to birth my first child but I am birthing myself as a mother. It's emotional and women need to make time to be alone, to go inward, to discover and explore these feelings.  I have learned that what pregnant women really need at this time is gentleness, tenderness, and understanding. Someone to acknowledge that its not just birth you must prepare for but its motherhood. The transition to motherhood.  We must honor and respect each women's journey to motherhood. How are you honoring this transition through your pregnancy or for your loved one?

We will be hosting our first Women's Circle in Cleveland at the Womb Wellness Center on Saturday September 21st from 4:30-5:45pm. A few of our Maya Abdominal Therapy clients have expressed interest in experiencing the Uterus Meditation to deepen their healing journey. We hope that hosting a Women's Circle is a favorable way to experience this meditation.

Maya Women's Circle: Awakening the Voice of Your Uterus

We will be guided through Rosita Arvigo's Uterus Meditation and then circle to honor our unique experiences. This powerful 40 minute guided uterus meditation is designed to help you tap into your body's inner knowing, unlock any old patterns that do not serve you, and awaken you to your womb wisdom.

Date: Saturday September 21st, 2013
Time: 4:30-5:45pm
Location: The Womb Wellness Center
                30539 Pinetree Rd, 236
                Pepper Pike, OH 44124
Cost: $15.00
To Register: Reserve your space now by registering online for this workshop
Registration limited to 5 women.

After I found out I was pregnant my husband remarked one afternoon that we should go to the library to get some pregnancy books. I just laughed and pointed to my bookshelf. "Honey," I said "I have them all right there." While working with prenatal massage and doula clients over the past five or six years I feel as if I have read every book I could get my hands on about fertility, pregnancy, birth, doulas, and postpartum care. There are countless books to help women prepare for childbirth, connect with their babies, and take care of their bodies during pregnancy. Below is a list of a few of my favorites that I felt were worth re-reading and my top five go to recommendations to my prenatal massage and doula clients.

Top Five Must Read Pregnancy Books:

1. Ina May's Guide to Childbirth, by Ina May Gaskin (Really any of her books, Spiritual Midwifery, Birth Matters, or Ina May's Guide to Breastfeeding)
Highlights: Other women's Birth Stories, Women's Empowerment, Getting a feeling of the deep trust in women's bodies and women's wisdom to birth naturally.
2. The Birth Partner: A Complete Guide to Childbirth for Dad's, Doulas, and All Other Labor Companions, by Penny Simkin
Highlights: Wonderful break down of the various roles of a laboring women's support team, great list of comfort measures, and a general understanding of how labor works.
3. Birthing From Within, by Pam England
Hightlights: Hands down the best childbirth preparation book, creative ways to unleash and overcome fears of childbirth and prepare for birth.
4. Bountiful, Beautiful, Blissful, by Gurmukh
Highlights: Helps you to tap into the spiritual aspect of pregnancy, yoga poses and meditations to bring you back into your body and connect with your baby.
5. Wise Women Herbal for the Childbearing Year, by Susan Weed
Hightlights: A go to manual for finding natural ways to ease and eliminate pregnancy symptoms.

If you have been to the Womb Wellness Center recently many of you have noticed that Jolynn is expecting her first child! She is due with a sweet baby boy at the end of November. She is feeling great and will continue to provide massage therapy services until sometime in November. She will out of the office from the end of November through January 2014. Jolynn will return to offer massage and doula services after maternity leave but we will have to keep you posted as to when her official maternity leave dates will be.  As far as doula services, she has decided not to take on any new clients with due dates before Spring 2014. If you or anyone you know is due before March 2014 and is interested hiring a doula we would be happy to pass along our doula referral list.

The Womb Wellness Center is a vendor at the Big Red Wagon Maternity and Kids Consignment Sale on the East Side of Cleveland this Weekend. Stop by the Womb Wellness Center's vendor booth to say hello! We are offering chair massage, raffling off a FREE 60 Minute Massage, and selling Womb Wellness Center Gift Certificates for 30% off.
August 15th, 16th, and 17th, 2013
Thursday from 9am-8pm
Friday from 9am-8pm
Saturday 9am-1pm

Location:
27627 Chardon Rd
Willoughby Hills, OH 44092

Five Benefits of Receiving a Chair Massage Session
1. Chair Massage boosts your energy, alertness, and even productivity
2. Receiving Chair Massage reduces pain and muscle tension
3. Relaxes and Rejuvenates
4. Chair Massage helps to reduce emotional stress
5. Receiving massage assists in preventing repetitive stress injuries

We will be offering Chair Massage at Ewes d'bleu, Yarns of Distinction!

Our friendly neighbors at Ewes d'bleu, the Yarn shop in our building, have invited us to offer chair massage during their open knitting nights. Please join us if you are the crafty type or need a quick last minute massage we will be offering chair massage at the shop on Thursday July 25th and Thursday August 15th from 6-8pm.

You can choose from the following options:

Heavenly Hand Massage: Take the time to treat yourself to a soothing hand massage. Our treatment increases circulation to relieve aching fingers and hands, alleviate wrist soreness and increase joint flexibility. This ten minute therapeutic hand massage will leave you feeling relaxed and refreshed. 
$15.00

Upper Body Wellness Massage: Give yourself the gift of a rejuvenating upper body massage. During this massage we will focus on your neck, shoulders, arms, and hands. This twenty minute deeply relaxing and therapeutic soft tissue massage can help you connect with your body, release restrictions, and restore your sense of wellness within.
$25

Ewes d'Bleu Yarns of Distinction 30559 Pine Tree Road Suite 206 Pepper Pike, OH  44124
www.ewesdbleu.com

A Rebozo is traditionally used in Mexico, its a long woven piece of cloth that is wrapped around the body in various ways to support a pregnant or laboring women, it can also be used as a baby carrier, or a shawl. Rebozo's are a wonderful tool to use to help improve your comfort in pregnancy and during your birth process.

How can a Rebozo can help during pregnancy and labor?

• It is used to relax tight ligaments and muscles during pregnancy.
  
• Helps a birthing women surrender into her labor by relaxing her physical body.
  
• A Rebozo can be used to help a baby rotate into an optimal position during pregnancy or birth.
• It can be helpful for a birthing women to pull on during pushing stage of labor to help aid in the decent of her baby.
  

I will unfortunately be out of town and will be missing this event. But I thought many of you would be interested in taking this wonderful Rebozo class. Gena Kirby will be leading the Cleveland Rebozo Workshop in August and class details are listed below.

A workshop on using the Rebozo in Pregnancy and Labor for Doulas, Midwives, and Parents with Gena Kirby

Sunday August 4th, 2013
2:00-7:00pm
Medina, Ohio (exact location TBA)

''The Rebozo has been used for comfort during pregnancy and labor in Mexico for years. My hope is to share this special tool and skill set with birth partners, doulas, grandmas, dads etc. The rebozo empowers the birthing woman and her partner, they are connected to each other through the rebozo. This class is 5 hours and is broken up into three separate parts. The first focuses on Relaxation then we move on to comfort and positioning then onto strength in labor.'' - Gena Kirby

• Early Bird Tickets - $100
• Expecting Couples Tickets - $75
• General Admission Tickets - $125

For more information you can visit the Facebook invitation https://www.facebook.com/events/631575546853612/

Often this is one of the first questions I get when I meet someone and tell them about my work: Do you have to be pregnant to get a massage at your studio?  Do you massage Men? Do you massage women who are past childbearing years? I am not even thinking about having children will you work on me?

Yes of course! While I am passionate about working with fertility, pregnancy, and birth, I have been practicing massage for over 7 years and enjoy working on all types of people, both men and women, young and old. I have massage therapy training in sports massage, trigger point massage, injury massage, structural integration and connective tissue massage and incorporate these massage techniques into both wellness and deep tissue massage.  Our intention for The Womb Wellness Center is to be a place for you to come to relax, tune into your body, and to heal. We want to be a place of refuge for you on your wellness journey. Wellness massage, Deep Tissue Massage, and Maya Abdominal therapy are all wonderful modalities for those of you who are not in your childbearing years. Receiving regular therapeutic massage is an effective treatment to reducing stress, pain and muscle tension.

Take advantage of our July Summer Special. Purchase one massage session at full price and receive $20 off your second massage during the month of July. We are looking forward to seeing you soon!

-Jolynn