Hi There and welcome to my blog! 👋 For those that don't know me, I'm a mom of three, birth doula and certifying Lamaze educator and a bit of a natural health nerd (or a huge one in the eyes of my husband) 🌿.
‘Me time’ can often look like wandering the aisles of the health food store or checking out the raw food eatery in town. But I wasn’t always like that.
After years of debilitating stomach pain, diagnosed with IBS & relentless psoriasis, I knew I needed to take my health into my own hands & manage the underlying issues, not just ease the symptoms.
As a teen and into my early 20s, I was the first one to try new products…I loved perfumes, deodorants that made me stop sweating for days, yummy smelling lotions and the latest and greatest shampoos or conditioners.
I then started to research what was inside all of these products I was putting on my skin and quickly realized the impact it was having on my psoriasis & health. I started to carefully choose the products I was using, adopting ones with ingredients I could pronounce, without synthetic fragrances, dyes and additives….I even started making my own products and selling them at the local market. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still not “all natural”…but I’m more aware & finding healthier balance.
In 2009, when my husband & I got married, I honestly didn’t do the research on contraceptive options…I just knew we didn’t want to get pregnant and the easiest, most convenient option at the time was the pill. After a year on the pill, I was speaking with a midwife friend & she started giving me the evidence on different contraceptive methods & I was shocked…I didn’t even think about how the pill worked or the science behind it. Its was through this conversation that we made the informed decision to do natural family planning. I had never felt more in-tune to my body and its cycles…and then in 2012 when we decided it was time to start trying, our little bean Jonah entered the world ***By no means am I stating that its that ‘easy’ to get pregnant, Im just speaking about my own experience***
Along with these lifestyle changes, I began seeing a naturopath & making dietary changes, going from almost daily IBS and psoriasis flare ups to becoming aware of what triggered my autoimmune disorders instead of just masking them with cortisone creams and Advil. Taking charge of your health looks different for everyone…& it should! EveryBODY is different, lifestyles are different, & options can be limited depending on where you live. But what I’ve learned through my own experience is being informed is so important! Taking charge & advocating for your health is essential and its not a ‘one size fits all.’ As a doula, I get the immense privilege of informing clients of the evidence on routine procedures and practices, so each client makes decisions from a place of empowerment and knowledge…that might mean a medicated birth, or completely natural 🙌 birth is about autonomy, and making choices that YOU feel are best for you and baby and I love advocating and supporting that.