Doula & Placenta Encapsulation, Lindsay Levesque

Where my witches at? Medieval midwives would sometimes keep one fingernail long and sharp in order to puncture a pregnant woman’s amniotic sac. This talon-like nail came to be a sign of a witch she could administer ergot, a fungus that lives on rye, to fire up contractions or use the poisonous belladonna flower, a relaxant, to slow things down Though it was an age of great superstition, church leaders began to grow uncomfortable with a midwife’s potions and late-night ...darting from house to house. In times of ignorance, the fingers of midwives seemed to mingle with unknown forces, delivering babies rosy or livid, wailing or silent, perfect or deformed. God was supposed to be responsible for controlling life and death-- not midwives. In 1486 two German Dominican monks scratched their ink dipped quills over parchment to produce the Malleus Maleficarum. Their tome, which translates as The Hammer of Witches, was a practical guide to witch hunting, explaining how to find potential witches. On that point, the Malleus Maleficarum was strident: No one does more harm to the Catholic faith than midwives. Britain executed its first [woman] in 1479 Across Europe between 1560 and 1660 as many as two hundred thousand witches were tried about half of those were killed. ...Working women were especially vulnerable to suspicion because they fit the target profile. Witch hunters believed that single women, particularly widows, would be more likely to seek out the devil because, without a man in their lives such women needed Lucifer's help just to get by. As well, witches were known to be outspoken and independent... Above excerpts from The Surprising History of How We are Born by Tina Cassidy (such a great read). Shout out to all the witches out there! To all the women who observe nature’s patterns and powers and harness and leverage them-- do your witchcraft! Whether you’re pushing the boundaries in your career, and/or brewing tea to soothe your child’s scratchy throat, I dig your witchcraft. How scary you all are-- you nasty, nasty women! HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

There is a lot more to this problematic bill than what's in the headline. Women: you are important. You deserve to make your own choices. There are people working hard to support you such as the Center for Reproductive Rights.

http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_593ebebae4b0b13f2c6cb9b6 One of my absolute favorite things in life is watching men become dads. It's sooooo fun!

I want to thank all the intelligent, thoughtful, assertive, care-full people who attended the women’s marches on 1/21/17. We all stood together to say, out-loud, that we give a shit about each other. It warms my heart and fuels my fire. I had the pleasure of attending the march with my 4-year-old-powerhouse daughter, my ever-attentive husband, my fiercely smart gal pal, and 60,000+ neighbors. Throughout the march I was moved to tears, giggles, yelps, hip shakes, and big-...deep-breaths. I’ve been supporting women and their families through childbirth for 4 years now, and I’ve always felt that it is my most effective way to practice my feminism. In my practice I get to listen to a woman say out-loud what she wants from her childbirth (beyond a healthy baby). I get to see her push herself and receive her lessons along the way. I also get to see how cherished she is by her support system. Thanks, y’all! And, please, keep it coming!