Pacifica Family Maternity Center

The fiscal 2021 National Defense Authorization bill includes a five-year pilot program to cover the services of a professional trained to provide physical and emotional support for female troops and military family members during childbirth

Join host Erin Alexander as she prepares hearty winter vegetable stew and talks about the health impacts of sugary beverages.

We send heartfelt gratitude to all that have been able to contribute ! Let’s keep the momentum going with as many shares as possible.

Voting early! #midwivesmakeadifference Need help finding your polling place or where to drop your ballot? Click the link below https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/polling-place

*Urgent support needed* please share widely #pacificafamily #midwifery #postpartumsupport

"SB 1237 would address these issues by updating the physician permission to practice requirement and replacing it with language that promotes collaboration and team-based care. This would allow California to join 46 other states in creating innovative strategies to improve maternal and newborn wellbeing." https://www.cnma.org/sb1237

Are you pregnant and concerned about going to a hospital? Birth centers are an excellent out-of-hospital option for healthy women anticipating a low-risk pregna...ncy and birth. Midwifery-led care in birth centers is time-intensive, relationship-based, and focused on creating an environment where clients feel safe and supported throughout pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum period. #birthcenters To find a birth center near you, visit https://www.birthcenters.org/find-a-birth-center

There is still time to help us meet our goal! Any donation helps so we can serve more families in 2021. Link in bio #pacificafamilymaternitycenter #pacificamidwives #pacificafamilyfund

Do you ever wonder what it would be like to fully own your birth story? If you or someone you know is looking for out of hospital prenatal, labor/birth and postpartum care in these tumultuous times, share this post or sign up for an Orientation to see just what Pacifica Family Maternity Center has to offer. #midwivesmakeadifference

After a vaginal birth, one of the most common discomforts is perineal tenderness or burning when you pee, and if there’s been an episiotomy, tearing, or any per...ineal swelling or trauma - this can be significant. Lavender is one of the herbs I recommend new mamas use to cool, soothe, and heal their tender perineum post birth. Studies going back as far as 1994 show that lavender oil can be effective at relieving some of the symptoms associated with perineal trauma following childbirth, supporting traditional use. Here’s how you can incorporate lavender into your postpartum healing plans: PERI-RINSE: Purchase a peri bottle (a plastic squeeze bottle) from any pharmacy and fill with either a well-strained infusion of lavender or more easily, 10 drops of essential oil of lavender diluted in 8 oz of water. Or use my postpartum herbal bath blend - below - in the peri-bottle. Shake well and squeeze over your perineal area as you urinate. Consistent use of this rinse significantly reduces inflammation and stinging. POST-BIRTH HERB BATH: In this article https://avivaromm.com/postpartum-herb-baths/ I show you how to prepare a healing postpartum herb bath that includes lavender, along with other soothing and tissue healing herbs like calendula, witch hazel and sage leaf. HERBAL COMPRESSES: Use any of the above preparations on a washcloth, and apply warm or cool to the perineum, as needed, to reduce tenderness and swelling. If you’d love to tap into nature’s medicine cabinet to support yourself - and other women - I welcome you to join Herbal Medicine for Women, my powerful 400-hour course that uniquely integrates traditional herbal wisdom, clinical experience, and critically reviewed botanical and nutrition science for the prevention and treatment of common women’s health concerns. While enrollment to the course is open year round - it's currently on flash sale! Join through Tuesday and receive 20% off individual + group rates (3 or more). You can find more info and the sign up at the link below. https://avivaromm.com/cour/herbal-medicine-for-women/sales/ And if you have any questions about the course, drop them below. XX, Aviva : @janawoodhousebirthandbabies

Pelvic floor health, get into it!

It’s time to vote, baby! Election Day is November 3. Absentee ballot due dates: Request your ballot by 10/27. Return it by mail postmarked 11/03 or return it in person 11/03 by 8pm! Did you know you can also register AND vote on Election Day? Go to your county election office, polling place or vote center to register and vote conditionally. #vote2020 #pacificafamily #wevoted #midwivesmakeadifference

Pregnancy, birth, babies. All the curated instagram images make it look so sexy and romantic. And then there are the things no one prepared us for - the blood s...weat and tears - literally! The shift into postpartum leads to the most significant hormone changes we experience in our lives, all in a matter of 72 hours, and with that, some ‘weird’ symptoms can manifest. Below are some of the normal things nobody tells us about. Hopefully knowing will prevent you from thinking you’re totally dying or in the least, that something’s really wrong: Shaking: Immediately after birthing, intense shaking and chills are common due to shifts in adrenaline as your body ‘comes down’ from the birth experience. Baby blues: Different from postpartum depression, the baby blues are a common and normal period of weepiness, anxiety, and irritability in the first 5 days after birth, and can last hours or days. It’s due to massive hormone shifts - especially a plummet in estrogen and progesterone - that occurs after birth, and is aggravated by fatigue and low blood sugar. If you feel down for longer than this period of time, or find that the sadness is interfering with your ability to care for yourself and/or your baby, please talk to your practitioner. Night sweats: many new mamas are alarmed to find themselves drenched in sweat the first couple nights postpartum - don’t be! Your body releases fluid volume naturally accumulated in pregnancy (and from IV fluids in labor). Sleep on a towel, have a change of jammies nearby, and an extra blanket layer on your bed if you feel chilled from sweating. Fear of going to the bathroom: Fear of peeing and pooping post vaginal birth, especially with a tear/repair or after cesarean, are common. If your yoni is tender, use a squeeze bottle with tepid water as you pee; for pooping, eat fiber, take deep breaths, and take it slow, knowing it’s safe to let go - and go. Mood swings: Hormone fluctuations can lead to wild mood shifts from intense moments of elation and gratitude to rage or sadness. This intensity will pass, though mom-feelings are still intense. Learn to ride the waves and have tools for inner calm. See more

We want to shoutout and celebrate one of Pacifica Family maternity’s center’s new midwives on receiving her midwifery license #midwivessavelives #moreblackmidwives #pacificafamily

.."But while miscarriage is common, it’s often a private experience. Many people wait until the end of first trimester to share any news of pregnancy. Some wait because, in the case that a pregnancy is lost, there’s no pressure to update family, friends, coworkers, acquaintances, and social media pages with something that can be so personally painful. Others report staying quiet for fear of being treated unfavorably in the workplace. Let's be clear: you don't have to tell eve...ryone (or anyone) about your pregnancy or your miscarriage. It's completely up to you whether or not you decide to keep this to yourself." All month long has been pregnancy and infant loss awareness month. In this blog post, we're given some perspective from people who have experienced this deep grief. Giving our voice and stepping into our truths is a powerful tool of healing and lifting the taboos attached to these sort of life events. https://modernfertility.com/blog/miscarriage/

Every year on World Pregnancy and Infant loss remembrance day, October 15- we light our white candle at 7pm and keep it burning to create a continuous wave of light for all families who have felt this deep grief. We hold you and your angels in our hearts. #worldinfantlossremembrance2020 #pacificafamily This #midwifery #fullspectrumbirthwork

Pacifica Family community member and skilled Montessori teacher Mariana Bissonnette is offering a free virtual prenatal class! You can sign up at the link. Class is scheduled for Saturday October, 24 https://www.thepeaceprogram.org/signup

! Honoring and celebrating Indigenous survival, struggle, strength, resilience, laughter, genius, beauty, language, culture, song, c...eremony, traditions, families, tribes, clans, and communities of the past, present and future, today and everyday! While October 12th, so called Columbus Day, is still a federal holiday, here in the Bay Area, Indigenous people and their allies have abolished it in Berkeley/Huichin (1992), Oakland/Huichin (2018), and SF/Yelamu (2018) and replaced it with Indigenous Peoples Day. This an especially good day for allies and accomplices to learn more about whose ancestral land you are on, to find a way to recognize the benefits received from the legacy of colonization, and wherever you are, to support your local Indigenous people. #IndigenousPeoplesDay #IPD #Stillhere #Thelandyouareon #Indigenousland #Ohloneland #sogoreatelandtrust #urbanIndigenous #womenled #landtrust #ceremony #food #medicine #rematriation

Happy Indigenous People's Day! Such gratitude to the ancestral ways of midwifery we hold dear now that are carried out by Native and Indigenous midwives and birth workers. "In Mexico, Indigenous midwives strive for collaboration with doctors to share knowledge as a complementary team so that Indigenous women receive safe and culturally respectful care, said Pérez Ruiz. Midwives want a relationship with health facilities and practitioners that is based on respect and where health institutions recognize Indigenous midwifery as a valid, knowledge-based practice that produces positive maternal health outcomes."