A Gentle Beginning

Yes, I am still catching babies! Carissa and Rachel too. Come see me at this amazing new birth center.
www.midwiferybirthcenter.com @ Midwifery Birth Center

Yes, I am still catching babies! Carissa and Rachel too. Come see me at this amazing new birth center.
www.midwiferybirthcenter.com

We are hosting a home birth cesarean gathering, for mothers who planned on an out of hospital birth, were transported to a hospital and birthed their little ones via cesarean. For more information and to sign up please see the link below.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/homebirth-cesarean-gathering-tickets-38543129538

Homebirth Cesarean Gathering The Homebirth Cesarean Gathering is for people who have planned an out-of-hospital birth and transported during pregnancy or labor to the hospital for a cesarean. This gathering offers mothers a sacred space, away from the cares of day-to-day life, to pursue a deep healing after a difficult or traum...

We are so honored to have been nominated for a "best of Portland" award. Check out all the great business in our community and place your vote!

http://wweek.secondstreetapp.com/l/BOP-2017/Ballot/Wellness

Blessings on our midwife sisters throughout the world -
today is International Day of the Midwife.
May we all remember to treat each other in the way midwives care for mothers, families and the new life being born.

"Speak tenderly; let there be kindness in your face, in your eyes, in your smile, in the warmth of your greeting. Always have a cheerful smile. Don't only give your care, but give your heart as well." Mother Teresa

We had so much fun and joy witnessing, supporting and getting to know this lovely couple. We are so happy to share this with all of you.
https://youtu.be/zbVYZ1Vkr1g

Pregnancy Time Lapse: Bump to Birth in 3 minutes Special thanks to Dario LaPoma for the beautiful piano music that he composed for his niece, Anika Luna: https://dariolapoma.bandcamp.com/releases And to A G...

Marching with the women, men and children of Portland today. Marching to support equality, acceptance, women's rights, and her power to choose what's best for her, her family and her body. Joining this amazing peaceful community to embody our mission statement...WOMEN, SUPPORTING WOMEN, SUPPORTING WOMEN.

Placentas are the most fabulous creation - an organ that creates lakes to move nutrients and oxygen to the baby and then filter the waste. When it is done - more magic as the cells go through apoptosis or cell su***de, a complete organ of service. This was one of our New Years Eve mamas and the aim of this picture kept her motivated!

While you are all snowed in today check out our new website and tell us what you think ..... and what you would like us to blog about.
http://www.agentlebeginning.com/

www.agentlebeginning.com

We are ready for you and your babies - rain, sleet, snow or ice. Studs on the cars and chains in the trunk.

To all our friends and families:
Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukka, Joyous Yule & Peace in the New Year
This year instead of holiday cards we gave a donation to directrelief.org. Here is a short video of some of their work.
And for all of you that love to read the names of all the little ones born with us this year:

Gaspar, Daniel, Avalyn, Drake, Alder, Gavriel, Logan, Oliver, Luca, Nehemiah, Maeanna, Elinor, Zohar, Eleanor, Jane, Anna, Willie, Carson, Donovan, Joji, Silas, Rosie, Amarah, Dean, Delia, Nathaniel, Elize, Ivy, Fiona, Audrey, Octavius, David, Veikko, Emma, Annalie, Esther, Kabir, Frankie, Miles, Isaiah, Logan, Gabriel, Everett, Winslow, Heinrich, Ambrose, River, Silvia, Brielle, Ezekiel, Ebony, Heidi, Mary, Brooklyn, Andrew, Aurora, Zoe, Ellis, Charlee, Malcolm, Levi, Evelyn, Olivia, Natalie, Opal, Oliver, Caleb, Darcy, Aralia, Phineas, Adam, Llywelyn, Fable, Rhys, Waylen, Elden, Ryen, Lily, Henrik, Mila, Evelyn, Lynsay, Hope, Jerry, Rocky, Jackson,
Allison, Linus, Theodore, Ada, Abigail, Anabel, Vesper, Landon, Jack, Kumara, Margaret, Luke, Radley and one on the way today

Direct Relief Midwife Kits As many as one in 30 women will die from complications related to their pregnancy or childbirth. Skilled birth attendants such as midwives offer the single m...

HI Everyone, just a quick post to let you know we are all ok and A Gentle Beginning was not affected by the explosion today. We currently don't have electricity so there is a chance we may be closed tomorrow. We will keep you all posted. Our thoughts and hearts go out to those who's businesses were affected.

This run through Champoeg park promises to be beautiful and beneficial to many! Registration closes on September 23rd! Will you be there? Here is an event description (for more info, click the link provided):

"Proceeds from this year’s fundraiser will benefit services supported by the Oregon Affiliate of the American College of Nurse Midwives, including scholarships, education for midwives, legislative action that supports midwifery and access to healthcare for Oregon women and their families. 10% of registration proceeds will be donated to the Baby Blues Connection which supports women's mental health care during pregnancy and postpartum. Additionally we will be hosting a diaper drive for the Nurse Family Partnership, an organization that partners first-time moms with a caring home-visit nurse throughout their pregnancy and until their babies reach 2 years of age. Please bring a pack of diapers of any size to the race and they will be distributed to NFP locations throughout the state."

Miles for Midwives Bring your family to beautiful Champoeg State Park for a morning of fun and fitness to celebrate midwives! This is the 3rd annual Miles for Midwives. Come ready to run, walk, push your stroller, or walk your dog! Young and old Runners or walkers Moms & strollers From Portland to Corvallis (and every...

You know your midwife was on a birth last night when she has on two different shoes in your appointment. She would rather be barefoot anyways. 👟👞

A current patient ran into a woman here in NW Portland. They got chatting, as women do, and the older woman asked who her midwife was. Me! and she had this picture in her purse. 21 years ago I helped this baby boy enter the world.

We hope this Friday finds you well, and enjoying your sweet little ones!

Would you allow us to indulge our love for our nurses again with a recent ?

One thing we have the honor of providing to women is a childbirth preparation course, where we delve into the emotional, mental, and physiological changes you may experience during your pregnancy, labor and birth. It is common for an expecting mother to dwell on the sensations and changes she will experience in her body when it comes time to push, and this writer addresses these sensations in wonderful detail. We encourage you to join our preparation course, where we can delve into these and other topics that will help you prepare for the arrival of your baby!

Birth Sensations & Protecting The Perineum Through It All Let’s talk about the perineum! (Yeah, high-five if you’ve got one – okay, it’s no secret everyone has one.) It’s a big concern among expectant moms, will my perineum m…

So much tenderness to behold when we have such incredible nurses in our practice. Nurse Rachel doing one of the many things she does so well!

Can you relate to this mother? In this post, she says, “The bar of success and joy and happiness gets pushed so high by culture that the little things, the enough mom moments, are lost.” Here, she reminds us that it is more important to let go and live in the small moments than to put so much pressure on ourselves to live up to the grand ones.

why being a mom is enough. They don't see you stand in the bathroom and gather your resolve every morning. They don't see those of you who mother alone without much support. They don't see the trips to the car back and forth and back and forth. They don't see you counting to ten a dozen times before noon. They don't see you l...

We found this list as insightful as it was encouraging! I particularly loved it because we often get inundated with so many voices telling us what *not* to do. This specialist has a helpful, proactive and uplifting list of a few things we can do, learn about, or implement to the benefit of our young children. Enjoy!

10 Insights of Remarkable Parents from a Family Therapist Ten key insights from a family therapist outline what parents can do to best support the healthy social and emotional development of their children.

Ah, the tides are changing! Good news from the UK, where the home setting and midwifery model of care are growing favorably! As we continue to educate and advocate, we believe that American women will begin to assess the value of holistic birth care as well. Midwifery and homebirth offer women a wonderful choice as they enter the childbearing year; we are pleased to be an option. We know that you have many care providers you could choose from, and are always grateful when that choice is A Gentle Beginning.

Is the tide finally turning in favour of home births? The model and entrepreneur Lily Cole writes of the arrival of her daughter in September:

What do you get when you combine ancient midwifery tradition with modern evidence based care? A Gentle Beginning, of course!

Ah, well this is interesting! According to one study, it is not simply the frequency with which we speak around our babies, but the way we interact with them verbally that can help their verbal development along!

Pretending to Understand What Babies Say Can Make Them Smarter New research suggests it’s how parents talk to their infants, not just how often, that makes a difference for language development.

After recent news of the burst of light that flickers at conception, it is enthralling to learn even more about this incredible moment. Here, we learn that despite the common teaching that the s***m rush in to storm the doors and pe*****te the egg, it is the egg who chooses the s***m and that it takes the cooperation of the two of them to create life. As this author says, “It appears that this process is more about cooperation towards a shared desire to create life. It is now widely known and accepted that the womb and birth experience leave emotional imprints for the life of a being, indeed we each have our very own creation story!”

Is the Egg more Powerful than the S***m? Science shows the Miracle of Conception is not when the s***m finds the egg, but is the Egg Choosing the S***m. What Lessons does this have for Humanity?

Have you noticed us on Instagram? We are so touched to see all the lovely photos you tag with ! Such lovely families and babies. Thank you for connecting with us with your photos.

It is heartening to see good news and growth in midwifery worldwide; and for birth to receive glowing press. We hope you enjoy this article as much as we did. To quote the article, “It would be wonderful to hear our great-grandparents’ stories of their births [in lieu of anxiety-based conversations that are common today], as it was a natural continuation of life, extension of family, a normal life process.”

Natural births: Bringing back the midwife Birthing centres like BirthVillage in Kochi are part of a growing trend

Even if you know how a butterfly flies or why the moon rises, it is still magical. With this fascinating news image coming to light, it would appear that the moment of conception is equal parts science and the supernatural.

Bright flash of light marks incredible moment life begins when s***m meets egg

One benefit of the Affordable Care Act is that every person is afforded an annual well-woman preventative visit, pre-deductible. At A Gentle Beginning, we do these exams while also connecting with you regarding your nutritional needs and exercise goals, as well as your family planning. We are proud to provide Holistic Pelvic Care. Check with your insurance company for details about provider coverage, as we are in-network with many carriers. Make an appointment to connect with your midwives. Plus, it is fun for us to reconnect with you, even when you are not pregnant! For more information on cervical cancer screening, consider the e-pamphlet provided below.

Our Moment of Truth - Lifetime Care Certified nurse-midwives (CNMs) and certified midwives (CMs) are partners with you in health throughout life--from your teenage years through adulthood and beyond. CNMs and CMs do more than deliver babies. They also provide general health care and help women understand their choices.