A Letter To My Daughters

Last week, I read a great blog on how to not be disappointed this Mother's Day.  One of the tips was to write a letter to your children, telling them why you love being their mother. So today, I want to honor the babies who made me a mother.  From my first born baby, who was born sleeping 14 1/2 years ago, to my youngest baby who is now 2 1/2 years old, they each have a part of my heart forever.  I love being a momma to my 4 girls and continuing to grow in my relationships with them, so this is for them.

Dalilah,

From the moment I found out that I was carrying you, I began to dream of the wonderful life that me & your dad would create for you.  Little did I know then, that this life of love marriage & motherhood would be such a rollercoaster.  Yet you keep hanging on, you enjoy the ride, you love life!  You remind me so much of the little girl that I used to be.  I pray that God protects you and that no one ever tries to put out your shine.  Shine bright Lila Cakes!

Saya,

I'm so fortunate to be your Momma.  You always surprise me when I take you out to do something just for you, and you never forget your sisters.  You are so considerate to think of them, and also careful not to ask for so much because you don't want me to have to spend so much money.  You are so sweet and generous!  I love you and your unique style.  I want you to know how beautiful and strong you are.  Don't ever be ashamed of the way God made you.  There could never be a more beautiful you, Papaya!

Alisa,

Your birth taught me so much about myself and I'm so grateful for that experience.  But even more so, I'm grateful for the everyday experiences I get to have with you.  You're so brave and adventurous, sometimes a little more adventurous than I'd prefer, but you teach me growth and flexibility.  You're so funny and silly!  Please always be my silly Lisa!

Daphne,

My sweet baby!  You are growing into a big girl so fast.  You're such a wild child.  I love getting to know you as you grow.  I wish you would stay little awhile longer, but I'll take what I can get.  Even if it's just an hour long nursing and cuddle session when I get home from work, or being woken up in the morning so you can watch Peppa Pig.  Love you lots Baby Daph!

Love you Always,

Momma

Birth Professionals & Bordeaux

What does birth professionals and Bordeaux have in common?  Probably Nothing.  But we enjoy the occasional glass of wine or 2 when we are off call together.

Once a season, A Joyful Journey hosts a birth professionals get together at our home office in New Lenox.  The goal is to support one another, just like we support our clients.  Our get togethers include lots of appetizers and desserts (definitely not a diet day), business strategies, stories, and a whole lot of support.  A healthy person makes sure she/he takes time for themselves. We do this at these events.  We share ideas, laugh together, cry together, work together.

The birth professionals include: midwives, doulas, lactation specialists, and educators.  Our group is always changing.  In the 2 years we've been hosting these functions, one thing remains the same: These are women who want to grow their business, want to develop business relationships, new friendships, and new insight.  These are the women you want at your birth!

We aren't afraid to be real with each other.  We are passinate about helping families at all hours.  We are juggling successful businesses, motherhood, and friendship.

This post is for them.  We cherish you.  We have learned from you.  We genuinely enjoy your company.  We would love to see you at the next get together!  We love you.

All our Best,

Cathy & Andrea

A Spring in Our Step

Ahh Springtime.  I sit here writing this in a sundress, hot tea on my desk, and a smile on my face.  You can't help but feel a little lighter. The tulips are blooming, the kids can play outside without freezing, and we are getting ready to welcome lots of babies.

A Joyful Journey is growing and changing just like the seasons.  We have so many things to share, where to begin?

I'll start with my fabulous partner, Andrea.  Andrea is taking a huge leap into college classes to become an IBCLC.   She has been a CLS for a couple years now and graciously volunteers her time, leading a breastfeeding support group at two different locations.  IBCLC's need numerous college courses and 1000 hours of breastfeeding hours to obtain this prestigious certification.  She is working tirelessly to make A Joyful Journey bigger and better!

On to me.  I am ecstatic to announce that I have been accepted to midwifery school!  I will be attending Midwives College of Utah ,full time for 4 years.  Nerves and jitters are plentiful.  Can you see why this post has the title A Spring in Our Step?  So much is changing we thought we would add a couple more delightful changes...

We are welcoming 2 fabulous doulas to our team!  Yes that's right.  Andrea and I will both still be "your doulas" but in addition, you have more amazing options.  Caley and Marissa are so excited to be added to the team.

Caley Engnell has two girls of her own and had drastically different experiences with each birth and postpartum experience. She realized from her own personal experiences how vital it is to be surrounded with the best support possible. Through dealing with infertility, loss, VBAC and breastfeeding struggles she found a passion and drive to give mothers the quality support and knowledge that was given to her in her positive birth and to make choices she truly felt were her own. She then trained with DONA international to pursue becoming a birth doula. She believes strongly in the healing power of placenta during the postpartum days and trained to become a placenta encapsulation specialist through PBI as well. She is now eager to provide you with 100% non-judgmental support and empowerment for your birth and assist you in any way she can to make your transition into motherhood as smooth as possible.

Marissa Lukas is a born educator and nurturer.  She began her career as an elementary school teacher after graduating from The University of St. Francis with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 2001.  After becoming a mother, life led her on a somewhat different path.  Marissa and her husband welcomed each of their four children into the world using The Bradley Method® of Natural Childbirth.  Two babies were born in the hospital, two were born at home, and one of her homebirths was a waterbirth.  Educating others about how to have a healthy, safe, and low-risk pregnancy, labor, and birth is Marissa's passion. She is privileged to provide support and empower parents to achieve the birth they desire as a Bradley® Certified Childbirth Educator and Doula since 2009. She has experience in providing doula support for unmedicated, medicated, VBAC, and cesarean births.  She would be honored to walk along side you on your birth journey.    

So now that you've heard some of our amazing news, please take a moment to share this exciting news and leave a kind comment to welcome the newest members of our team.  It is sure to be an exciting, wonderful season at   A Joyful Journey.

I OXYTOCIN YOU!

In honor of every doulas favorite holiday, today's blog is going to be about oxytocin (the LOVE hormone)!

Oxytocin plays an important role in many aspects of our lives, from social bonding, to bonding with your mate, to aiding in reproduction & nurturing our babies... these things would all be difficult to accomplish without this amazing hormone.

Have you ever seen a couple that is newly in love?  They seem to have trouble keeping their eyes (and their hands) off of each other.  That is because when we hold hands, hug, kiss, cuddle and make love, we are being rewarded with huge doses of oxytocin.  Oxytocin evokes feelings of contentment, reductions in anxiety, and feelings of calmness and security when in the company of your mate. When making love, and especially following an orgasm, our bodies release high levels of oxytocin, which help us to feel connected to our mate.  It's no wonder that when a couple is separated for a long period of time, anxiety can increase due to lack of physical affection.

A recent study showed that oxtocin may even promote fidelity within a monogamous relationship.  In this study, men were given a dose of synthetic oxytocin, and were shown a picture of their significant other, and a picture of another woman.  When they saw the picture of their significant other, the two areas of the brain responsible for feelings of reward and pleasure lit up!  However, the sight of other women had the opposite effect, suppressing feelings of pleasure.  In this same study, oxytocin caused men in a monogamous relationship, but not single men, to increase the distance between themselves and an attractive woman by 10-15 centimeters during a first encounter.

During labor, oxytocin causes uterine contractions, communicates with the woman's brain to release endorphins, and helps to shrink the uterus back down after delivery.  When breastfeeding, the infants suckling stimulates the nipples and causes the release of oxytocin, which not only causes the body to have a let down of milk for the baby, but also causes uterine contractions to support the shrinking of the uterus and lessen postpartum bleeding.  This may also be why breastfeeding mothers are 50% less likely to experience postpartum depression than their non-breastfeeding peers. 

Oxytocin also promotes mother-child bonding.  Studies show that female rats that are virgins find pups to be aversive.  However, once they've given birth, the brain is transformed, so they find the pups irresistible!  This is very similar with humans women!

Other fun facts that I learned while writing this blog:

Wound healing- Oxtocin is thought to modulate inflammation by decreasing certain cytokines.  Thus, the increased release in oxtocin following positive social interactions has the potential to improve wound healing.

Oxytocin & singing- When we sing, we release oxytocin and endorphins!  When we sing with others, it promotes bonding.  I knew there had to be a reason why I love to sing, all the time!

I hope you all enjoy my blog!  Don't forget to release oxytocin today!

Lots of Love,

Andrea

Pretty, Proud, and Professional

It's been a wonderful journey in the 2 years that Andrea and I decided to become more professional and partner up together.  It seems like yesterday that we were at our first vendor event together for Birth Without Fear.  We felt like newbies in the doula world and were still getting to know each other.  I was 5 months pregnant and Andrea had a 4 month old.

Fast forward 2 years and we are strong professionals, continuing to challenge each other to grow.  In two years we have attended 4 vendor events, organized an amazingly successful fundraiser, had weekly meetings, revised our website, and added placenta, bellybinding, and bereavement doula support.

We are kicking off this year by proudly announcing that we are officially incorporated!  A Joyful Journey, LLC is raising the bar again this year.  All of our contracts have been reviewed and updated to better serve our amazing clients.  In addition to being promoted by a fabulous midwife and yoga studio in the area, we are also collaborating with New Horizons Family Chiropractic .

We are so excited to continue to grow professionally and to make sure that our clients receive the best care.  Keep checking back for more exciting news.  If you know someone or are looking for a certified, insured, empathic doula to enhance your birth experience please contact A Joyful Journey, LLC today!

Breastfeeding & Postpartum Support In Our Community

About 3 1/2 years ago I met a woman and her two sons at a Will County breastfeeding event.  We began chatting and realized that our youngest babies were the same age.  She invited me to a breastfeeding group at our local hospital.  Little did I know that she would become a good friend and this group would become a big part of my life.

When I first began attending this group, it was just the Lactation Consultant Kathy, my friend Karin & myself.  The group soon began to grow.  Karin & I have both become breastfeeding peer counselors at this hospital and are there every Wednesday to support new mothers as well as mothers who have been with us for months.  We have noticed a pattern though.  We will have a wave of 4 or 5 new moms coming every week for the first few months postpartum, then they all head back to work, with a schedule that doesn't allow them to attend the group anymore.

Just this month, I began offering a Breastfeeding & Postpartum Support Group at Nurture The Journey Wellness Studio on the 1st & 3rd Sundays of each month.  I'm hoping that this will be a great source of support for mothers in our community and especially for the moms facing new challenges as they go back to work.  I feel that having a community of mothers supporting each other is not only crucial for the success of breastfeeding, but it's also so important to have this support for ALL mothers during the postpartum period.  Mothers in the U.S. tend to feel isolated and often don't reach out for help, which can and does often lead to baby blues or postpartum depression.

Now, I'm gonna brag a little bit about this amazing group of mothers that are a part of this breastfeeding group.  We don't just see each other for a few hours every Wednesday.  We keep in touch on Facebook.  We have a walking group together, that meets twice a week to go walking.  We have baking parties & play dates together.  These mothers are a great source of support to each other and I'm so proud to be a part of this community of strong women!  I hope you can join us at one of our groups & become part of this amazing community! 

For more information on how we serve our community, please visit us at A Joyful Journey Doula Services.

Lots of Love,
Andrea

Cloth Diaper Swap & Sell

Have you ever wanted to learn more about cloth diapering from experienced Moms?  Come join us on Sunday, January 24 from 10am-2pm at Nurture the Journey in Minooka, IL. The event will be hosted by your fabulous doulas from A Joyful Journey.  www.nurturethejourney.com has all the details about our Swap & Sell.  Admission is free but if you'd like to sell your lovingly used diapers, then have $5 and a table at the door.

There will be an array of cloth diapers for sale.  From all in ones, to prefolds and snappies this is a great event if you're looking to try out cloth diapers or learn more about them without spending a fortune.

Snow or shine we will be there.  Kiddos are welcome!

Check out our website for more information on this and future events and services.
www.ajoyfuljourney.org