Iris Botanica

When we become parents our brains go through the dramatic transformation of matrescence to become mothers or patrescence to become fathers. The parent brain is very different than the adult brain. It is unique with unique needs and a unique opportunity to transform mental health.

Our brain changes throughout pregnancy and continues to change postpartum. Dads and partners brain changes happen in the months postpartum. When we have a surrogate or adopt our brain will change postpartum too.

Every emotional brain area that developed in our infancy - like the hippocampus, amygdala and prefrontal cortex - becomes especially plastic again allowing dramatic rewiring of our stress systems, mental health and relationships.

Your adult self can take care of these inner baby brain areas to wire you for more health and more nurtured parenting.

Guess what changes the parent brain postpartum? Nurturing our baby!!! And nurturing ourselves.

Parenthood, with a new brain, is a chance to listen to your intuition, your gut, your biology.

Join my new workshop Dec 1 to learn to nurture yourself while you have a baby from 0-3 years 🧠🧠🧠

Sign up here - https://www.nurture-neuroscience.com/workshops

✨🌿Aromatherapy during Labor and Birth🌿✨
True essential oil safety is much too detailed to fit into one, simple post, but for the purposes of this one, I’ve narrowed some down for you!
• Lavender and Bergamot are my go-to when combatting anxiety. There is an abundance of research and evidence out there supporting the use of Lavender for sleep and stress relief, and the use of Bergamot for anxiety relief
• Ginger and Lemon together not only smell ✨incredible✨, they’re also two of the best when it comes to reducing nausea in many situations, not just labor and birth (visit link in bio for emails & updates — Lemon Ginger Chew recipe coming soon!)
• Peppermint and tangerine are refreshing, stimulating and cheering for the mind! They work amazingly for combatting sluggish depression and exhaustion. This combo is also a secondary option for helping to reduce nausea, and combat headaches!

If you want more detailed information tailored to your specific health needs, follow the link in my bio to set up a free 20 minute coIf you want more detailed information tailored to your specific health needs, follow the link in my bio to set up a free 20 minute co !

Safe infant sleep can be a sensitive topic. Firstly, I want to be clear that I fully support parents in making educated and intentional decisions. Unfortunately, there are aspects of safe sleep that are not widely discussed and infant product marketing can often be misleading.

Today I want to talk specifically about weighted sleep products and infant wearables. Frequently used products such as swaddles, sleep sacks, blankets, etc are marketed to tired parents promising fewer sleep disruptions and longer stretches for their little ones. What these products don’t highlight is how wildly unsafe these products can be for your baby, increasing the overall risk of SUIDS.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) strongly advises against the use of any weighted or heavily cushioned infant sleep wearables.

Here’s why:

- Thick, cushioned, or weighted sleep products make it difficult for you baby to roll safely and/or for them to get themselves into a safe sleeping position that protects their ability to breathe.

- Weighted sleep products can potentially place too much pressure on a baby's chest and lungs.

- Some of these products have no designated TOG rating (Thermal Overall Grade) meaning that there is no indication of how warm the garment is and potentially increasing the risk of overheating.

- These products are designed to help your infant sleep deeper and longer, which can directly affect arousal during sleep. There is some evidence suggesting that inability for a baby to come into lighter sleep stages or wake themselves when needed potentially increases the risk of SUIDS.

If you are unsure of the safety of a product you’re using, I highly recommend doing more in-depth research, consulting the most up-to-date AAP guidelines for safe infant sleep, product advisories and recalls. The safety of your family is paramount.

If you are struggling with your baby or toddlers sleep and would like to ask questions or discuss a personalized sleep plan, I offer free Discovery Calls and 1:1 Sleep Coaching Sessions for anyone inside of the US and would be happy to support your family.

✨8 Reasons to Hire [Me as Your] Birth Doula✨

1. I can answer your questions on what to expect from labor.
2. I can help you sort out the common myths from factual information.
3. I can help you and your partner plan and organize your birth preferences.
4. I provide resources for specific mental, emotional, and/or physical challenges you are facing.
5. I also provide emotional support for your partner while you’re in labor.
6. I will help you communicate with your healthcare team to make sure all your concerns and preferences are being heard and addressed.
7. I will help you with laboring positions optimized for baby’s descent, and pain support.
8. I can guide you and your partner through mindfulness practices to further improve your satisfaction with your birthing experience.

Follow the link in the bio to learn more!!

Welcome to the
🌿✨Iris Botanica ✨🌿

The struggles of trying to run a business by yourself when you work a full-time day job and have ADHD….
Life is a journey, and I chose this path — and whatever additional cliché phrase you can think of… So, it’s not about what I haven’t accomplished yet. It’s about what I have yet to accomplish; it’s about my mission for true wellness and healing, both mentally and physically; it’s about waking the path of light✨
Let’s keep going!!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY FRIENDS ❤️
Perhaps the two most cherished herbs for the heart are the beloved hawthorn and Valentine’s Day’s most notable favorite, rose. The very scent of a rose enlivens the heart and nourishes the soul. This beautiful blossom is revered throughout the world for promoting happiness and love. Hawthorn, also a member of the rose family, kindly acts as a calming nervine and trophorestorative for the circulatory system, helping to bring physical and emotional imbalances back to equilibrium.

❤️🌸 Herbs we love to love for the heart:

🌸 Hawthorn (Crataegus spp.)
🌸 Rose (Rosa spp.)
🌸 Linden (Tilia spp.)
🌸 Motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca)
🌸 Milky oats (Avena sativa)
🌸 St. John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum)
🌸 Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis)
🌸 Violet (Viola spp.)
🌸 Tulsi (Ocimum tenuiflorum)

Members of The Herbarium, be sure to check out the "New From The Library" section. There you will see a wonderful compilation of heart opening herbs, recipes, and you can download this pretty graphic as a PDF!✨

Sending all our love, from your friends, at the Herbal Academy! ❤️

✨Pre-Order Now✨
Hey everyone!! I am opening pre-orders for the Just Be: Oracle Deck and for our new products on offer…crystals!! And, of course, handmade herbal products are on the menu as well!
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The Just Be: Oracle Deck with a guidebook will normally sell at a price of $60, but I’m selling it for $40 for pre-orders with a FREE guidebook!!
🌿☀️🌿
The crystals vary in shape and size, but I need a few pre-orders on the books before I can purchase the shipment — anyone who orders now will get an extra crystal surprise!!
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Send me a DM, or a text to 503-610-8069 with any questions, or to place your order!!!

This year, our dear friend Lucretia VanDyke published her first book, African American Herbalism, and it is fantastic! Rooted in African American traditions, this compilation of stories, practices, and recipes shares a perspective not heard often enough.

The article Lucretia wrote in 2021 for the Mountain Rose Herbs Blog is a glimpse at what you can expect to find in her book. https://blog.mountainroseherbs.com/honoring-herbalists-of-color-through-time

You can also find her book here: https://mountainroseherbs.com/african-american-herbalism

Sleepy tinctures ready for order in 2 weeks! Stay tuned ✨🌿✨

Ready, set, go: The hunt for 175 glass hearts hidden in Tualatin parks begins Feb. 1 The program, “Share the Love,” is so popular that officials now plan to make it an annual event.

I’ve answered a few commonly asked questions on drinking herbal tea during pregnancy and labor!
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Any questions you have that weren’t answered here? Comment what you want to know below! 👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻
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Birth is an opportunity to transcend. To rise above what we are accustomed to, reach deeper inside ourselves than we are familiar with, and to see not only what we are truly made of, but the strength we can access in and through birth.

—Marcie Macari

The spring training to become a Perinatal Wellness Professional starts February 1st!!!
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Tonight, by 11:59 PM EST/8:59 PM PST, is the last night to submit applications for scholarships!
Follow the link below for more info!

Perinatal Wellness Professional - Certification Program - Perinatal Natural Health School Become a prenatal and postpartum wellness consultant! Create individualized wellness plans using nutrition, diet, exercise, stress reduction,

This simple graphic hits different — and it rings my heart like a bell.
This beautiful representation of doing our best everyday is exactly why I want to start up a Support Group for Birth & Health Workers. Whether you’re a doula, midwife, wellness coach, mental health professional, massage therapist, childbirth educator, lactation consultant, RN, ND, MD, etc, I want to start a support group for all of us to find our social support among professionals who understand on a special level.
My goal for accessibility is to bridge the gap for financial and non-financial barriers to support for this group; therefore, I would love to make it a hybrid platform (both in person in the Portland, OR area, and via virtual meeting), and requesting donations rather than making it a paid support group.
If this is something you, or someone you know would be interested in joining and contributing to (e.g. donations, facilitating groups, providing meeting space, catering, etc.) please reach out to the Pacific North Nest: Birth Worker Collaborative via the page, Instagram .north.nest or via email to [email protected], and let’s talk!

🥰🥰🥰

✨It’s time to reclaim health!✨
Want to become a wellness coach?? The Perinatal Wellness Professional Certification Program will prepare you to hold one-on-one consultations with pregnant and postpartum clients looking to improve their health. Guide families in creating a wellness plan utilizing nutrition, diet, exercise, stress reduction, and daily routines.

Practice natural health, including herbal medicine and aromatherapy with freedom, while also navigating the waters of legality without fear.

This certification was created, because there isn’t anything else out there like it. You would need at least four separate certifications to cover all of the areas of wellness that we address in this training process!

There is an immense vacuum in the world of perinatal natural health support,
and no other practitioners are as uniquely equipped to meet those needs as a PWP.

By the end of your certification process, you will have the tools and the experience to support your clients with traditional and science-based methods for wellness. You will know what to say and how to guide your clients to better mental and physical health.

✨Core and Pelvic Floor: Demystifying Postpartum Healing✨

The regular instructors, Carson Fernander .nhs and Laura Speece , with Natural Abundance Health & Birthing will be joined by CAPPA Postpartum Advisor and director of the “All About the Core for Doulas” training program, Laura Nance . They will be discussing common issues for parents following birth and how birth and health professionals can support them during the postpartum period. This class also includes a handout of herbal remedies for postpartum healing including sitz bath herbs and our favorite Calm Mama tea blend.
✨Follow the link in our bio to register, for FREE✨

You have survived all of your worst days.
Love, PSI 💙

Help us spread support to parents and help seekers in need. Share this message to your story or tag a friend below.

Need help or support?
📱 Call or text the HelpLine: 800-944-4773. You never need a diagnosis to ask for help.
💻 Visit postpartum.net for additional resources

Help fund PSI's crucial work supporting all pregnant, postpartum, and post-loss people:
💙 Start a fundraiser: bit.ly/PSIFund
💙 Donate: bit.ly/ilovePSI

You are not your thoughts 💭
Love, PSI 💙

Help us spread support to parents and help seekers in need. Share this message to your story or tag a friend below.

Need help or support?
📱 Call or text the HelpLine: 800-944-4773. You never need a diagnosis to ask for help.
💻 Visit postpartum.net for additional resources

Help fund PSI's crucial work supporting all pregnant, postpartum, and post-loss people:
💙 Start a fundraiser: bit.ly/PSIFund
💙 Donate: bit.ly/ilovePSI