This week I was reminded of my past post exploring the question of whether water slows down labor:

“…But the weight of the water on a woman’s body also causes a ‘pooling’ effect in the blood vessels inside her chest, because the rib cage protects the lungs from the water-pressure squeeze exerted on the softer tissues of the limbs and abdomen. Over time this leads to a complicated hormonal chain reaction that results in decreased secretion of oxytocin, the uterine-contraction hormone, from the pituitary gland within the brain. With less oxytocin circulating than before she climbed in the tub, a woman’s labor can slow down significantly…”

Does Water Slow Down Labor? | Talk Birth.

I’ve only had one waterbirth myself and getting in the water did seem to slow my labor. I don’t feel like this was a bad thing necessarily because Tanner had a velamentous cord and it seems like a more sedate labor pace was probably better for him.

We recently finished casting some of my new watergathering goddess sculpture and I’m really happy with her!

This goddess is kneeling by the riverside, joyful that the springtime thaw is here and the waters flow freely once again. She is welcoming the new—the buds, the blossoms, the tender new shoots, the newborns, the vibrant wellspring of creation and delight.

via Watergathering Goddess Sculpture original by BrigidsGrove on Etsy.

After my positive experiences with Sacred Pregnancy and Sacred Postpartum, I’m taking the year-long Sacred Year course offered by the Sacred Living Movement. One of the projects for the first month is to make and drink “crystal water.” While I have an open mind about some things, I confess that ideas related to gem elixirs are definitely not one of them (they raise my “hokeylicious” alarm), so I was actually thinking of skipping the crystal water assignment, but today I decided to do it and it was actually quite delightful. I put a rose quartz heart in my water for joy, a tiny moonstone for small adventures, and an amethyst for healing. I used a cup that was made from a wine bottle from our wedding (and saved by my dad until our tenth anniversary. Now, we’re coming up on 17!). It felt like a symbolic vessel to use for my crystal water.

I listened to the first lesson for Sacred Year while holding a sleeping Tanner and working on grades for my class. One of the things I’ve learned is not to wait for the “perfect time,” so I set up my sacred spaces wherever and whenever I am!

Also while nursing my baby, I took my annual workplace “preventing harassment” training. While the training is well-done and includes lots of good information, I wish that the prevention strategies included: “don’t assault people,” “don’t put drugs in people’s drinks in order to control them,” and “carry a whistle. If you are about to assault someone, blow it!” See: Asking the right questions… | Talk Birth.

Sort of speaking of asking questions, I enjoyed this post about the value of face-to-face breastfeeding meetings:

Here we are in 2015, and the moms of today are equipped with google and web md and can contact all their friends at once with a tap to a screen. Surely, with modern technology, we can access all information worth knowing. Surely, we are beyond the need to sit in a circle with other breastfeeding moms and their babies and toddlers. Aren’t we?

via The Value of Breastfeeding Meetings in the Age of Social Networking | Breastfeed Chicago.

I actually feel like I might not have survived early motherhood without La Leche League meetings. And, it was NOT actually because of the breastfeeding support, it was because of the other mothers. Those beautiful, kind, supportive, smart, and passionate other mothers!

We’ve been working recently on some larger pregnant goddess sculptures and hope to have some ready to go by the end of the week:

And, if you’re interested in a free handout on how to draw a Calamoondala, make sure you’re signed up for our Brigid’s Grove newsletter! The handout is included in our February newsletter.