Rebirth Movement

So what exactly is the ego and how can we recognize it within ourselves?

The ego, when in balance, serves an important purpose.
But left unmanaged, can create a lot of inner turmoil.

The ego is the “I” self -- the mental construct of identity.
If we are not taught about the ego, we believe this identity is “us”. As a result, most of us are slaves to our ego and actually believe that our ego identity is our true identity.

We grow up unaware of how it controls us, makes decisions for us and creates narratives of our lives to project an image or persona of who we think we are.

The more awareness we bring to ourselves
(our thoughts, actions, reactions, emotions, relationships & social conditioning),
the more we can start to recognize when your ego is calling the shots and how it impacts you.

The work begins by practicing self observation. 》Where does your focus go (positive or negative)?
》What narrative are you telling yourself?
》When do you get defensive and why?
》In what areas of your life are you most desperate to feel belonging?
》What parts of yourself do you feel shame for and why?
The ego is going to resist this level of awareness and self observation. This process likely won't be comfortable, but it is an important step to beginning to differentiate between the authentic (higher) self and ego self.

Through practicing awareness and observation we can begin to control the ego and say,
"I see you, but I'm okay.
I don't need to respond from this place of fear/hurt/shame.
I don't need to keep writing this same narrative that is not serving me." When we observe the ego it looses its power.
And the more we practice recognizing the ego the easier it will be to regain power.
Ego work and practicing this self awareness transfers into conscious awareness where we shed layer after layer of your unauthentic self and experience your own
r e b i r t h. 🌙 1:1 counselling and group work is coming soon to Kitchener-Waterloo, so stay tuned lovelies!

Infertility represents many losses including a loss of fertility and reproductive ability, the loss of a child and the hopes, dreams and expectations that come along with longing for a baby.

Some theorists classify infertility grief reactions into four main phases:
1. the initial phase (shock, surprise, denial)
2. the reactive phase (frustration, anger, anxiety, guilt, grief, depression, isolation)
3. the adaptive phase (acceptance)
4. resolution phase (planning for future solutions). .

In our culture, there are little to no mourning rituals for this type of loss as well as a severe lack of recognition and support.

Individuals and couples often report that others don’t understand their profound feelings and feel pressure to move on with life quickly.

People may minimize infertility since the desired child never existed so they don't understand the experience of loss.

The lack of support, recognition and acknowledgement of this loss results in disenfranchised grief.

As a result, it is common for people experiencing grief around infertility struggle to appropriately grieve and mourn which can result in complicated and prolonged grief.

For many people, infertility alters their identity profoundly and permanently.

You may feel as though you've lost a part of yourself.

This winter I took a course on grief and loss because I recognized the prevalence of grief in my doula clients for a variety of reasons. In this training I learned about the different theories, therapy approaches and grief support specifically designed for people experiencing grief and loss around infertility.
There are also some wonderful therapists in the area that provide counselling for disenfranchised grief around infertility.

Fellow Birth Workers! There's an awesome workshop coming to GUELPH this Thursday (April 18) you don't want to miss!
Jessie of KITH+common community consulting will be sharing so much wisdom about inclusivity and how birth professionals can offer better support to clients and their families.

The workshop is also facilitated by social worker Ash Mar Lap, owner of Mind Online.

It's a great workshop for us (birth workers) to learn a bit more about how to better be there for our LGBTQ+/ non-binary clients.
I will be there and I hope I can see some of you too!

Moon Time Teachings

Learning about Moon Time is an important topic. These teachings will be new information; for others, it will be a review. In any case, I want to inspire you to get curious and learn more about your Nation's specific teachings on Moon Time. You will discover that your ancestral teachings about Moon Time are incredibly beautiful. In the meantime, I humbly share just a few teachings with you and thank you for receiving them with an open heart and mind.

It is called Moon Time because a woman's body is connected to Grandmother Moon. As the moon is connected to ocean tides, it is also related to a woman's monthly cycle. There are teachings about the 13 Sacred Moons that are simply beautiful; I encourage you to learn about these teachings. The critical thing to understand is why we call it Moon Time. During life-giving years, Moon Time marks a miraculous monthly process held in the highest regard.

For us, Moon Time is a time of ceremony, so there is no shame associated with it. Our ancestral ceremonies included pre-teen girls going through rites of passage, where they were taught about womanhood. For example, there would be a grand celebration in the community when a girl was nearing her Moon Time or me**es, or what some might call 'having a period.' Sadly, views have changed so much that I've heard Moon Time called 'curse' or other derogatory slang words. It saddens me because nothing can be further from the truth. I believe truths are exposed as more information is obtained. For example, some people have been told that women do not participate in ceremonies on their Moon Time, but only brief explanations are given. As a result, people fill in missing information with interpretations of the worldviews around them. Sadly, over time, many have been taught that when a woman has her 'period,' she is unclean; thus, shame and secrecy have also become associated with this time of the month. I have been told that this is the assumption as to why a woman doesn't participate in ceremonies. This is not the case. Our ancestral teachings tell us that the Creator blessed women, or 'Lifegivers,' with the sacred ability to give life. It is through a woman's life-giving abilities that humankind prospers. The fundamental truth is that without a woman's ability to carry a child within her, no person on earth would exist today.

Moon Time is when a woman's body demonstrates its sacred ability to nurture life. This process includes the woman's uterus walls thickening so she can prepare to carry a baby. However, as we know, a woman doesn't become pregnant every month, so her body finds ways to purify itself naturally. This means a woman has a natural and spiritual purification ceremony every month. The lining prepared for a baby becomes released through blood; simultaneously, the body mimics the process of giving birth; thus, pain occurs. The body undergoes physical changes, essentially rebuilding itself.

Additionally, for a short time, hormones that were preparing for the nurturing of a baby also become imbalanced. In a way, a woman's hormones send her messages associated with feelings of loss. Though the woman may not be aware of it, in a sense, she is physically and emotionally connecting with the fact that she must 'try again' next month. A woman's monthly strength and endurance tell us how mighty women are. Women naturally can rebalance their entire being through a powerful internal purification ceremony. In other words, a woman can internally cleanse away emotions and thoughts that detract her from walking in balance because she possesses the sacred ability to realign her energies. When you think about it, what a woman's body goes through during her Moon Time is a profound and utter demonstration of the love of humankind because she is genuinely honouring her life-giving qualities. A man does not have the ability of internal cleaning because he does not possess the ability to carry a child within him. Therefore, when men are present in ceremonies, a woman demonstrates compassion for men by stepping back. A woman also steps back in high regard and with great respect for her time of personal power. She is undergoing a powerful spiritual external personal purification ceremony. She is so powerful this month that the medicines are naturally drawn to her. For it is true Mother Earth is also a Lifegiver, and the connection between her and women is so powerful that they are naturally drawn to one another. Mother Earth also understands a natural cleansing period; she demonstrates this through the change of seasons. As the sacred medicines are naturally drawn to the woman, the purification properties are less robust than a man might need to be able to purify their energies. As I said, a woman's compassion for men is so great that they step back from participating in a ceremony during their Moon Time.

Still, this is not to say that a woman does not participate in ceremonies during her Moon Time; quite the opposite is true. In traditional times, during a woman's Moon Time, the respect for women was so great that no other burden was placed upon her. During monthly moon lodges, women were encouraged to nurture themselves holistically. Women's ceremonies honoured the body's cleansing time and assisted in balancing hormones. For example, our Ancestors knew that during Moon Time, the mind (brain) becomes influenced by a sense of 'loss.' As a result, both serotonin (a 'feel-good' chemical in a person's brain) and sugar (insulin) levels were impacted. Our Ancestors knew the power of intermitting fasting for rebalancing thoughts and emotions. They also knew that breaking fasts with fruit naturally restores a body's sugar levels; thus, today, we see sweet berries associated with women's ceremonies. We also break our fast with buffalo broth because of the deficiency of certain alkaline levels in our bodies. Our Ancestors were naturally gifted with knowledge of the body's chemistry and a person's emotional and mental states.

Thus, daily lifestyles were based on holistic principles, and spirituality was simply a way of life. Therefore, we lived a balanced lifestyle where we were nurtured physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. Today, we can learn more about these holistic life views through the Medicine Wheel teachings. I encourage you to learn more about the teaching of the Medicine Wheel; they have the potential to impact your life profoundly. I hope I have shared enough teachings to make you curious about learning about Moontime ceremonies. Most of all, I hope I have encouraged you to learn about the traditional views of women. We must return to our traditional views for our culture to endure. Our teachings were oral and, to a large extent, still are; however, if there is one thing about our people, we are resilient because we adapt. I am so happy that we are sharing information with today's technology. Still, there is nothing like learning traditional teachings from your Nation's emotionally healthy Elders, especially those who follow our traditional ways. The Elders are waiting for you; they know it is time to hand the torch over to the next generation. They want to teach you about ceremonies, and they want to tell you about our ancestral teachings. They want our culture to thrive. I encourage you to go and learn. In the meantime, I thank you for your kind attention.

kākithaw niwākomākanak (All My Relations),
kihci têpakohp iskotêw iskwêw (Emily Jane Henry)
Ochapowace Nation

Featured is the beautiful artwork of Loretta Gould. To see more of her work, visit her page at: https://www.facebook.com/mikmaq.artist.loretta.gould/?ref=br_rs

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Dear gentle readers, please respect my work and do not copy it without crediting me.

Could your induction be the cause of your postpartum depression?

A 2017 study of over 40,000 women found that women with no history of prepregnancy depressive or anxiety disorder had an increased risk of postpartum depressive or anxiety disorder if they were exposed to peripartum oxytocin (the substance used for labour induction).

If a woman had a history of prepregnancy depressive or anxiety disorder, exposure to peripartum oxytocin increased the risk of postpartum depressive or anxiety disorder by 36%.

How many of you have heard healthcare providers say "it's a drug that your body naturally creates, we're going to give it to you to help you progress."

The reality is that it is actually synthetic oxytocin. It is not the oxytocin that our bodies create cannot be replicated.

More of the study findings include:

Contrary to the study's hypothesis, results indicate that women with peripartum exposure to synthetic oxytocin had a higher relative risk of receiving a documented depressive or anxiety disorder diagnosis or antidepressant/anxiolytic prescription within the first year postpartum than women without synthetic oxytocin exposure.

I have talked with so many pregnant people who are terrified of postpartum depression as they see the rates of postpartum depression continue to rise. There are things you can do to help reduce your chance of postpartum depression and prepare for it ahead of time if it does present itself.

Please feel free to send me a message or leave a
comment for more information.

Read the study for yourself here: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/da.22599

Pitocin Linked To Postpartum Depression And Anxiety: New Research | BellyBelly Postpartum mood disorders affect around 15% of women. New research may have uncovered a link between an induction drug and these disorders.

This article was hard for me to read so I feel as though I should mention that as a disclaimer before encouraging others to read it.

The last thing I want to do is perpetuate fear around birth and labour but the issue of consent is REAL and medical professionals are misusing their power and authority.

"What can I do about this?" you ask:
- know your rights
- prioritize developing a birth support team that validates you, makes you feel safe, and is willing to provide client-centred care
- interview you doulas/midwives/obstetricians and choose a team wisely
- visit hospitals/birth centres and know their policies, practices and birth statistics (For example, some hospitals have very high cesarean rates. If you are wanting to birth with minimal unnessary intervention, that is likely not a good fit for you)

"Childbirth is one of life's few big events where unpredictability is almost guaranteed. There is, however, a fine line between necessary medical interventions to ensure the safety of both woman and her baby, and decisions made that violate a woman's rights, and her body."

https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/life-and-relationships/it-felt-like-a-violation-of-my-rights-the-issue-of-consent-during-childbirth-20190308-p512uv.html?fbclid=IwAR0SnNLj75RqDvBwGDOeAZp_nL1e_twtY-sEljOSy5w7hYxyoT50D74OFew

'It felt like a violation of my rights': the issue of consent during childbirth There is a fine line between necessary medical interventions to ensure the safety of both woman and her baby, and decisions made that violate a woman’s rights.

🌱 March 21st is

‘She is perfect’: Mom discovers baby has Down syndrome after dramatic water birth "I knew that something was different. As soon as I looked down, I saw it. I saw it in my baby’s face. I thought to myself... my baby has Down syndrome."

This pose is one of my favorite poses to recommend to my clients. Legs Up the Wall Pose (or Viparita Karani) is a restorative yoga posture that allows the mind and the body to relax while relieving stress and tension. You don't have to be a yogi to do it either since it doesn’t require much flexibility or strength. It's easy to get in to and doesn't have a lot of counterindications.

It has countless benefits including increased blood circulation in the legs, lymph circulation, and helps improve thyroid function, reduce back pain, improve posture, reduce insomnia and help digestion.

Does your pregnancy cause sore, swollen, achy feet, legs and hips? Try this pose before going to sleep and see the difference it makes!

"Compared with daytime deliveries on weekdays, the risk for complications during night shifts was 21 percent higher, on weekends 9 percent higher and on holidays 29 percent higher. The researchers also found an increased risk of 28 percent in teaching hospitals in July, when new residents begin their training. This difference was reduced to statistical insignificance by the following June." https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/04/well/family/hospital-pregnancy-childbirth-delivery-complications.html?smid=fb-nytimes&smtyp=cur&fbclid=IwAR24Qw21On8ZIDWLs2eDPioRXXLG4Ie8FTDrltAx0jFGZexn9WzrypVYroc

Hospital and Time of Delivery May Affect Mother’s Health The risk for complications in childbirth was highest during night shifts, weekends, holidays and in July.

Interesting perspective from a Mormon mother of six.
These conversations need to keep happening.

Woman destroys anti-abortion argument by proving men cause 100% of unwanted pregnancies. 'All unwanted pregnancies are caused by the the irresponsible ejaculations of men'.

You are what you eat, and possibly what your great grandmother ate!?
New research suggests that mothers who eat high-fat, high-sugar diets can predispose multiple generations of offspring to metabolic problems, even if their offspring consume healthy diets.

"While other studies have linked a woman's health in pregnancy to her child's weight later in life, a mouse study at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis is the first to indicate that even before becoming pregnant, a woman's obesity can cause genetic abnormalities that subsequently are passed through the female bloodline to at least three generations, increasing the risk of obesity-related conditions such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease."

How is this possible you ask? The research shows that a mother's obesity (and its associated metabolic problems) can be inherited through mitochondrial DNA present in the unfertilized oocyte (egg). Mitochondria supply energy for metabolism and other biochemical processes and have their own sets of genes, inherited only from mothers, not fathers.

The study with pregnant mouse mothers showed that metabolic syndrome can transmit dysfunctional mitochondria through the female bloodline to three generations.
The study also indicated that oocytes (mother's eggs) may carry information that programs mitochondrial dysfunction throughout the entire organism.

Article found through Dr. Rhonda Patrick's FoundMyFitness database.

Want to read more? Check out the report posted by the Washington University in St. Louis: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/06/160616141336.htm

Pregnant women's high-fat, high-sugar diets may affect future generations: Obesity can predispose offspring in multiple generations to metabolic problems A pregnant woman's high-fat, high-sugar diet may have consequences for later generations, a mouse study indicates. The study suggests that a woman's obesity can cause genetic abnormalities that are passed through the female bloodline to at least three subsequent generations, increasing the risk of o...

Looking for something to curb your sweet cravings? TRY DATES!

If you’ve even been pregnant, supported someone through their pregnancy, watched tv with a pregnant character or just been alive for more than 15 years, chances are you have heard about how strong food cravings can be while pregnant!

I hear a lot of Moms say that they crave sweets but are aware of how harmful artificial sugar (ya that white stuff and all those different odd syrupy stuff like glucose fructose, corn syrup – the list goes on) is for themselves and their developing babies.

When I made the transition to my natural, toxin free, sugar, free, gluten free diet I experienced food cravings at a level I never knew possible but I KNEW that was just my addiction to sugar talking. I found dates to be my favourite, healthy alternative for curbing that sugar craving.
Dates are very high in potassium and potassium plays an important role in maintaining the balance of fluids and electrolytes in your body's cells. It’s also important for sending nerve impulses and helping your muscles contract.

Your blood volume expands by up to 50% during pregnancy, so you need slightly more electrolytes (sodium, potassium, and chloride, working together) to keep the extra fluid in the right chemical balance.

If you suffer from leg cramps during pregnancy, you might check whether you're getting enough potassium because a lack of this mineral (or sodium, calcium, or magnesium) could be the culprit.

Recommended potassium levels:
Pregnant and women: approx. 4,700 milligrams per day
Breastfeeding women: approx. 5,100 milligrams per day

Do you ever stop to think about your experience as a conscious human being?
About how you are part of this thing called life - human existence.
About the fact that each of us being alive is a phenomenon.

A big part of that phenomenon for me is the mirsculous experience of pregnancy and b i r t h.

It is vulnerable, raw, instinctual and p o w e r f u l.
You are powerful.

It is one of the last forms of true human experience. It is a time when a person should never feel unheard, weak, manipulated, or discredited.

Don't let anyone take that power from you.
Yes this time in your life has many unknowns and is a time of consistent change, but it doesn't have to be scary and you don't have to be in it alone.

Are you pregnant and looking for a birth experience where you are informed, empowered, prepared and uplifted? Maybe you know of and expecting friend who has expressed birth preferences that align with what I'm talking about. I'm now accepting clients in the Kitchener-Waterloo-Cambridge area and would love to connect and see if we're a good match.

Side note: if you're looking to hire a doula, I encourage you to be picky! Interview them before making your decision. Make sure you connect with your doula, that you feel comfortable with who you're bringing into the birth space because that place is sacred.

📷 from a birth I supported last spring. I was with her and her Mom when she crawled for the first time last weekend.

When all you feel is guilt: A letter to new working moms Hey there working mama,Can we sit down and breathe for a sec?Let’s go find two big comfortable chairs in a quiet cafe in the cutest part of town.Let’s set our stuff down and give ourselves permission to press pause on the ever-running to-do lists that runs like a news-ticker in our minds.Let’s...

The Canadian Pediatrics Society has considered the antibiotic eye drops (erythromycin) in newborns to be an ineffective medical treatment for almost half a decade.

Health-care professionals use the eye treatment to prevent babies from getting neonatal opthalmia — or conjunctivitis (pink eye), which occurs in the first four weeks of life — from gonorrhea or chlamydia.

Silver nitrate was used for centuries but is no longer used (it actually caused transient toxic pink eye in 50 to 90 per cent of newborns). It has been replaced by erythromycin, the only ophthalmic antibiotic eye ointment currently available for use in newborns, and is questioned widely by The Canadian Pediatric Society.

Infants born to birth person with untreated chlamydia infection at delivery have a 50% risk of getting chlamydia, a 30% to 50% risk of developing neonatal conjunctivitis and a 10% to 20% risk of developing chlamydia pneumonia

The Canadian Pediatric Society states that the administration of erythromycin should not be routinely recommended.

Rather than eye drops, the Canadian Pediatric Society recommends routine prenatal gonorrhea and chlamydia screening for all pregnant people at the first prenatal visit, and further screening and treatment if necessary for the pregnant woman — and even her partner — throughout pregnancy.

Want to read more? Here's the link to The Canadian Paediatric Society's Position Statement: https://www.cps.ca/en/documents/position/ophthalmia-neonatorum

In her 40 years as a midwife, Daviss has attended more than 150 planned vaginal breech births.

“The breech issue is one that really touches on issues of skill, politics, and hierarchy — not just in hospitals but in society — and consumer demand and mothers’ real wishes,” Daviss says.
“Birth is supposed to be something where you’re welcoming someone into the world that’s going to be your pride and joy. To have that birth taken over in a way where you feel out of control because the practitioners want to be in control because of their fear, it means we’re working uphill. I think if we could all turn around and run down the hill together, it would work better.”

This Midwife Has Delivered Over 150 Breech Babies Without a C-Section A breech birth is when a baby is born feet first. It depends on the experience of the provider, but most opt for C-section to deliver breech babies. Betty Ann Daviss is a world-renowned Canadian midwife who’s educating providers on how to do vaginal breech births. Read more about her here.

I'm back!! Did you miss me? I missed you!
A lot has happened during my time away: I completed my in-class portion of my Social Work degree, became a Prenatal Yoga Teacher, and moved to Kitchener, Ontario for a social work placement in the perinatal support realm. Things are starting to come together and I couldn't be more excited!

This account started as a platform for me to explore my passion for perinatal wellness and women's health after becoming a Birth Doula. I've grown a lot since then and want to start incorporating more of my knowledge, journey and practice beyond my Doula practice, so I have changed my account from Doula Aleta to Birth Movement. You can find me on Instagram as well at .

Thanks for following me on my journey 💫. I can't wait to see what the future has in store!

It's World Doula Week!
I feel so blessed to be a Doula and help support women through their pregnancy, labour and post-partum recovery.
This weekend I had the honour of helping an incredibly strong woman bring this little angel into the world. 🎀
It was 12 hours of hard natural labour, and today during the post-partum visit she told me that if it wasn't for me she would have asked for an epidural. It was in her birth plan to go natural. I support all birth preferences and this was the first natural birth I had assisted in.
I was so touched by her feedback and it made me realize how truly important a Doula really can be, both physically and mentally. Having someone in your corner, supporting you completely through your labour can be so empowering. Doula's reduce the amount of epidurals by 60%. Not because we are against epidurals necessarily, but because we help the birth person push through the pain and not succumb to the intervention pressures from some medical staff.
🔸 As a Doula, I help empower and encourage my clients through their labour, no matter what they choose.

A funny, yet starkly accurate representation of how the medicalization of birth interferes with the natural labour process.

"Oxytocin is the love hormone and is produced during s*x, labour and birth.
It is not produced in stressful conditions."
- Michel Odent, Functions of the Or***ms

The Performance Put a couple having s*x in the same shoes as a labouring woman in a hospital setting and what do you get? We highlight how atmosphere, attitudes and interven...

From the beginning of pregnancy, many women experience breast changes. Hormones in the body are preparing the breasts for lactation 🌧. The milk ducts are growing and being stretched as they fill with milk early in pregnancy ☁️. All this causes an increase in sensitivity and discomfort 🌩 .
🔸As your Doula, I'm here to help you be informed about the different phases and changes during pregnancy while helping you plan for your delivery.