No one ever told me about postpartum hair loss. It is kind of annoying. Of all the ways your body changes during and after pregnancy, I didn’t expect to lose my hair, too. Especially after enjoying such luxurious tresses during pregnancy.

My postpartum hair loss affected my edges (hairline) and eyebrows most drastically.

This photo was taken in December of 2016. Notice how thin my hairline is and my eyebrows.

After my third child, I concocted a mixture that helped my hair return. I am happy to share with you! You will need a blend of both oils and essential oils, but I promise your hair will reap the rewards!

Oils:

Neem Oil – This one is super stinky, but it’s super potent.

Sweet Almond Oil

Castor Oil- Golden, Black, or both

Note: I infuse my oil blend with the dried herbs of lavender, rosemary, and peppermint.

Essential oil blend

Essential Oils:

Lavender – 30 drops*

Rosemary – 30 drops*

Peppermint – 15 drops*

*for a 4 ounce bottle

Directions

1. Mix with a whisk or spoon
2. Use a funnel to transfer to a capped bottle
3. Apply to Scalp on wash day
4. See the results!

I encourage you to give this recipe a try and let us know if it works for you. Have you experienced postpartum hair loss? Do you have a product that you swear by?

This image was taken in March of 2017. Notice the fuller hairline and darker brows.

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Joi Barnett

Joi is a Believer, wife, mother, entrepreneur, and artisan, who has a passion for educating and empowering women holistically. Using family and women’s health as a focus, Joi has built an all natural soap business and doula practice to serve the needs of her community. She lives and loves in Indiana with her husband and 4 children.

The post The Best Ever Solution for Postpartum Hair loss appeared first on Breastfeeding World.

I had a deep desire to labor and birth our third child in our home before I ever imagined having a fourth. Home Birth was in my heart before I remarried. It wasn’t something that I chose as a RESULT of a terrible experience in the hospital. Women and couples decide to have a home birth in a plethora of ways. Could it be an option for you now or in the future? Let’s explore…

My home birth was all that I hoped it would be.

My midwife Mindy.

Both of my midwives, Brandi and Mindy, scheduled an in-home visit with my “birth party” once I reached 36 weeks; the magic number when baby should safely be born at home. My birth party (people present during labor and birth) was probably larger than most. My husband and children were all present, my mom, sister, In-loves, a dear friend, and doula were all present during the exciting part of my labor and birth.

I say exciting part of my labor, because my water broke and I labored nearly 40 hours before MJ was born. Sounds awful doesn’t it? It wasn’t. The most frustrating part of laboring that long was coming to the realization that yes, my water broke at 7ish in the morning, but I wouldn’t meet my baby that same day.  My contractions continued, so I thought they were making progress. So far, the contractions weren’t unbearable- I could walk, sway, bounce, color, and talk to my mom while she baked cinnamon rolls in our kitchen.

My mom rolling homemade cinnamon rolls. Everyone was grateful for the smells and treat!

I should’ve known, with those signs that my labor would last a while longer.

After about 12 hours of laboring, I called Mindy to come check me out.It turned out that my cervix was only about 2 centimeters dilated. I felt so mad! At this point, I realized that I couldn’t inconvenience anyone who’d arrived as a willing part of this experience. Keep your party smaller, so you won’t have any of those feeling if you happen to have a longer than average labor.

Mindy was so gracious and sweet to me. She wasn’t the least bit annoyed that she’d come all that way only to return home with me still pregnant. She advised me to eat, drink a glass of wine and get some sleep. My mother-in-love was so sweet and volunteered to make the wine run two nights in a row because Saturday and Sunday were much of the same. Our family took shifts in and out to check on us and make sure we ate. I ate better while labored than I did the entire pregnancy!

My dear friend, Simone’ stopped by with my pregnancy craving.

By Sunday, I was going stir-crazy

I felt so annoyed at my still-pregnant state. Brent and I ended up padding the passenger’s seat of the car that night and taking a drive. Everyone left, and I had cabin fever. However, the time allowed us to talk and enjoy the view of the stars.

I woke up Monday morning to a big gush of fluid and substantial contractions. IT WAS ON.

Sweet toddler kisses between contractions.

Finally, we put out the call and woke up the family members that were already at house waiting. I remember using the restroom just after my midwife arrived, and sitting there fussing my husband out. It angered me- I was in labor and having a BM. The need disgusted me. Like, who does that?! I knew that this happened all the time, but it was the strangest feeling to me. I kept telling him it was all his fault. Haha!

We decided to check my cervix after I got cleaned up and I had progressed to four. We still knew there was a way to go, but knew we would meet MJ soon.

Once again, I misjudged my daughter.

She was out and on my chest in 41 minutes!!!! That might be the only thing that I would change. With contractions coming so close together, and then suddenly boom baby– it was hard for me to mentally and physical keep up with. I barely made it into the birthing tub. As soon as I sat down, by body began pushing.

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I fell in love once more!

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My husband and I after my cervix check. I barely made it into the birth pool from here.

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My husband and I decided to leave her placenta attached for a few hours after birth. So MJ and I dried off and climbed back into bed to nurse while Mindy looked us over. Meanwhile, someone fed me and gave me water. I remember feeling so incredibly thankful to give birth at home, in my space.

Taken shortly after getting back in bed from the birthing pool.

There was no hurrying around going on just joy and excitement. After a few hours passed Mindy prepared a nice herbal bath for me and MJ to get cleaned up and then helped us get back in bed and comfy again. Seriously the best immediate postpartum period that I could have asked for.

MJ just after our herbal bath.

I know you have some curiosities…

Throughout the pregnancy and labor, my husband and received lots of questions. I also like to open myself up to answer questions from others who are curious about home birth. Here are few that we’ve come across:

• What would you do if the baby stopped breathing?

If baby stops breathing or isn’t breathing at birth, the midwife takes resuscitation measures, just the same as the hospital. My midwives came equipped with rescue bags and it was our responsibility to provide a metal cookie sheet to serve as a hard surface in the event baby needed CPR. Do make sure the midwives you choose are trained in neonatal resuscitation.

•  How often do you check heartbeat?

Baby’s has his heartbeat checked aproximately every twenty minutes during active labor, but less often in early labor and during pushing.

• Do you prepare emergency plans? 

Yes, we prepare emergency back up plans. I registered with my back-up hospital ahead of time, in the event I needed transported.

• Can I eat/drink what I want the entire time?

I ate and drank EVERYTHING I wanted. I was SO hungry!

• Is it true that it’s unsanitary to give birth in the water that you are sitting in?

This is not true unless the water somehow becomes contaminated. If you have a bowel movement while pushing, you should of course get out of the water. This is the same procedure you would follow if you were pushing on the bed, and the soiled linen would be removed before baby is born.

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Coloring was a relaxing way for me to pass the time.

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Supply corner and my wall of affirmation. This was taken a few days before my water broke.

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One of my birth affirmations.

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• What do you do to provide mom comfort immediately after placenta delivers?

It’s a great option to have warm blankets or heating pads arranged. The parents or someone in the birth party can provide them. The entire experience is customized to fit the needs of mom/dad/family. However keep in mind that requests shouldn’t keep the midwives from ensuring the safety of Mom and baby.

• Does mom still go to the hospital afterwards? What preparations need to made beforehand as far as materials, sanitation, space, etc…?

No need for Mom to go to the hospital if delivery was uneventful. Your home should be just as clean as it normally is.  There is a list of supplies that we needed available for the birth. For instance, we had a water birth, so we had to get a water hose, plastic to go under the tub to protect our carpet and a bunch of extra towels on hand.

• Weren’t you concerned about infection with your water being broken so long?

I wasn’t. Being at home with ruptured membranes is much different from being at the hospital with all those germs.  I trusted my midwives and I follow their instructions closely. They told me to practice good hygiene, clean the toilet seat before each use, nothing in my vagina, to stay hydrated, and watch for signs of fever. I wasn’t gushing fluid at all. There was a slow leak until the morning MJ was born.

All my loves!

Hospitals are a great option, but they are not the ONLY option. Explore all of them and be fearless in making the best choice for you and your family. Are you interested in your own home birth? What are some of your question about the process? Let’s keep the conversation going! We would love to hear some of your home birth experiences.

Be sure to join us in our social media accounts to be up to date with the progress of our project!

And… Don’t forget to share your brelfies using our hashtag

#BreastfeedingWorld

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Joi Barnett

Joi is a Believer, wife, mother, entrepreneur, and artisan, who has a passion for educating and empowering women holistically. Using family and women’s health as a focus, Joi has built an all natural soap business and doula practice to serve the needs of her community. She lives and loves in Indiana with her husband and 4 children.

The post How to Have an Amazing Home Birth in a World of Hospitals Pt.2 appeared first on Breastfeeding World.

My midwife, Mindy, and my dear friend Ebony chatting as they fill my birthing pool.

When you tell people that you are having your baby at home, they tend to look at you like you have three heads

Even though home birth was the only way babies were born for centuries, it has become taboo. However in recent years, home birth has seen a resurgence in current culture, as women opt to have their babies on their terms. There are SO many women who are not happy with previous in-hospital birthing experiences. Unfortunately, some of us still refuse to accept that we have options beyond giving birth to our babies in sterile, cold hospitals- and not in the comfort of our own home. We’ve allowed the procedural to take precedence over the personal.

My Home-Birth Story Will Make You See Birthing in an Amazing New Way

It Could All Be So Simple…

There is no way for me to explain to you why I am so passionate about women being aware of all their birthing options without sharing a bit of my own experience. I am a Mom of four beautiful children. Both of my eldest babies were born “naturally” without incident. I also didn’t leave the hospital moved by my birthing experience. It just was what it was. Nothing special. I was just another woman who came to the hospital, had a baby, and was sent home with a few diapers and the back up formula bag.

Six years after having my eldest daughter, I became pregnant with my third child.

I was wiser and had more education regarding my options. I was DEAD SET ON having a midwife and a home birth. My bubble bursted quickly when I found out it was not legal for a midwife to attend a home birth in Kentucky. Off to the OB I went. Initially I felt excited to find a young, Black, Female OB. I felt like she would understand what my wishes were, respect them, and help me stick to my guns. I was wrong. When I saw her picture on my computer screen, I saw my sister in a cape.

I thought she would serve as an advocate for me, but it turned out that she was just another doctor. I, of course, ended up on bed rest. After spending months on the couch and only going out to attend the millions of doctors appointments, I was spent. I felt OVER pregnancy and I missed my own Mom. By the time U had my next appointment, I went in to the office in a mood.

Upon being asked by my OB how I felt, I confessed: I was tired of being pregnant. I wanted my body back. Soon after, I was scheduled for an induction the following Monday. The decision to allow an induction came when I was in a highly emotional state. She never stopped to talk me down or reassure me that it wouldn’t be long before I’d be holding my baby. None of that. So, without any good medical reason to do so, my former White Coat Crusader was going to induce my labor.

This wasn’t MY plan.

On the morning of induction, I felt ambushed with misguided “care”. It was akin to reaching out to a friend for emotional support, only to have them comfort me with cocaine. Her “help” was hurting me. Even before I got to the hospital I felt confusion, regret and betrayal. I remember telling my husband that I hoped I was dilated to 5 centimeters and that my contractions would pick up. I wish that I had the courage then to just not show up. But it was too late to turn back.

My Hubby snapped this before my OB came up. The thumbs up was my way of saying: here we are so lets go with it.

After being checked in, my doctor came up to check my cervix. My cervix had dilated to 5 centimeters and I was 50% effaced (cervix shortens, softens, and thins). I had a fleeting moment of excitement. Then I heard her say, “I’m going to break your water now.” Immediately following the breaking of my water, warm amniotic fluid soiled the sheets. I was devastated. I asked her why she broke my water if I was already dilated to 5. Her exact words were “I don’t play. I get it rolling.” What, Sway?? I was livid. When her desire to get rolling came in, the rest of my options went out.

An hour later nurses started me on Pitiocin.

Pitocin is an artificial version of Oxytocin, the hormone that causes a woman’s uterus to contract during labor. Not asked; just started. When I questioned it, the nurses dismissed my concerns saying that Doc thought it was best because my contractions weren’t “strong enough”.

The medication continued getting increased. I requested that it not be turned up any more because of how strong and close my contractions were coming. My nurse kept saying that my doctor thought it was best. She blatantly disregarded what I, the patient, was asking her to do. My uterus became so irritable that I couldn’t move without having another contraction. On my last trip to the bathroom, it took about 10 minutes to get to the toilet because they just wouldn’t stop coming.

Hubs and my Mother-in-love did provide a few chuckles throughout.

Sit up. Contraction. Swing legs over the bed. Contraction. Stood up. Contraction. Take two steps. Contraction.

This is not a dramatization of my experiences. I wish that I didn’t remember so vividly.

Moments after she’d been placed on my chest.

Finally, it was time to push. Exhausted, I remember my OB yelling for me to push with each contraction. But I couldn’t keep up. They were coming like a flood. I stopped to breathe and her head popped up to look at me. She yelled, “PUSH!” I yelled back, “I NEED TO BREATHE!!’ When my daughter was finally born, we shared a blissful hour of skin to skin contact and breastfeeding.

And then more madness.

Have you ever wondered what postpartum hemorrhage looks like?

I handed my daughter over for my Mother-in-Love and other family to see while I got up to go to the restroom.

Love at first sight..

When I sat on the toilet, I felt a huge clot slip out. I mentioned it to my nurse and before I could turn to look, she flushed the toilet. She may not have been trying to hide anything, but that didn’t sit right with me. I got cleaned up and noticed that I seemed to still be having contractions. I was still in so much pain.

On my transport to the postpartum floor, I began to shiver. And the pain became worse. Because I could feel the blood and the clots between my legs, I requested that the nurses check while they were transferring my care one to another. They did and changed my pad. 15 or so minutes passed and my pad needed to be changed again. Again, I called the nurses in, and again the same routine. Still I shivered and I remained in a lot of pain. I don’t remember asking for pain meds.

The amount of blood concerned me

At some point, my daughter’s Godparents came into the room. I expressed my concern about the blood to my husband and how many times my pad needed to be changed. There was a comment made, “You just had a baby. You’re supposed to bleed a lot.” I dismissed this comment while my mother-in-love was telling me to calm down and try to sleep. I appeared anxious to her. Afraid, I knew I needed a moment to think. So I called my husband closer and asked him to ask everyone to leave. Once they were gone I tried to feel for the top of my uterus and realized it was displaced. It dawned on me that a few hours had now passed and I hadn’t emptied my bladder.

By this time, my peri pad had been changed four times. Once again, we summoned the nurses for restroom help, and to request meds to stop the contractions and slow the bleeding. I was in so much pain by this point that I lost my stomach into an emesis basin. My nurse didn’t hesitate to get an order for the meds that I requested and she administered the suppository as soon as I was back in bed. After a uterine massage, a pad change, and some time for the medication to work, I was feeling better and my bleeding was normal.

This experience was such an ordeal. My daughter was perfectly healthy and I am eternally grateful for that.

Artwork of our daughter by Ashley Cathey.

 The horror of what actually happened didn’t dawn on me until weeks later. I took inventory and I realized that if not for my medical training and knowing what signs to look for, I probably would have taken the advice of those around me. I would have changed my pad, requested meds for pain, and settled into sleep. Had I done that, I would have bled out in my sleep. I was so furious and traumatized that I didn’t even go back to my six week check up. I have only shared all the details of my experience a few times. It still chokes me up. I had to walk away from sharing this  today as not to break down in tears. My daughter is three years old now.

I don’t believe any woman should walk away from a birthing experience feeling this way.

Sadly, what happened to me happens to women all over this country and around the world; every single day. My goal is to help women be confident and knowledgeable about the options available to them.

In the second part of this post, I will share my experience with home birth and answer some of the questions I have received about what to consider when thinking about home birth as a birthing option.

Have you had a birth experience that you were unhappy with or do you know someone that has? I’ve found that exploring my feelings about my experience and sharing with others to be empowering. It is high time that we as women say what is best for us! We do not have to await the medical community or government to make sweeping changes for us. The unity amongst women is not to be underestimated.

Joi Barnett

Joi is a Believer, wife, mother, entrepreneur, and artisan, who has a passion for educating and empowering women holistically. Using family and women’s health as a focus, Joi has built an all natural soap business and doula practice to serve the needs of her community. She lives and loves in Indiana with her husband and 4 children.

The post How to have an amazing home birth in a world of hospitals, Pt 1 appeared first on Breastfeeding World.

When I found out I was pregnant, I was not ready for becoming a mother again .

I had and have some very tumultuous feelings about being a Mom of four. DO NOT GET ME WRONG, I adore my baby girl. She really is a doll. I just never thought that I would be a mother of an infant again. This- combined with a few other factors- attributed to my battle against postpartum depression (PPD).  Primarily, mine manifested itself in the form of anxiety, but it may also look like depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, or obsessive compulsive disorder to others.

According to Postpartum Support International  15 to 20% of women will suffer from postpartum depression.

That’s a significant number and I don’t believe PPD is given enough attention, nor are there enough resources provided. I had an absolutely terrible experience throughout this journey trying to find a therapist to treat or talk through these feelings with. In searching, I didn’t find one who actually dealt specifically with postpartum depression. Also adding the hurdle of insurance- and who accepted what was another frustration. Eventually, after three months of frustration, I gave up my search. I recommend that any woman who believes they are struggling with PPD seek professional help.

Nursing MJ behind the scenes of the Indiana Black Breastfeeding Coalition’s IBE booth

Breastfeeding has helped and hurt my journey through postpartum depression.

During my anxious and keyed up moments, sitting down to nurse my MJ became my refuge. Getting still, the release of oxytocin, and her satisfied smile do wonders to calm me and give me a mood boost. Nourishing her at my breast has been vital to keeping me connected to her, life, and motherhood.

On the flip side; when MJ has me on boobie island, it puts me out of my mind with frustration. All those thoughts about how I didn’t want another baby come flooding back. I get upset thinking of all of the things I planned at this time in my life. Plans which now need to wait, or take an insane amount of time to complete. I tell myself that with each passing day she grows older. She will not always need me so much. This too shall pass. This is sometimes the only thing that gets me through the day.

Journaling has been the other outlet to get me through this time.

I spend time exploring what I’m feeling and asking a lot of questions. Writing in my journal helped me to figure out some of my triggers and why they bother me. I have been a mother since I was seventeen years old.

The one that made me a mother.

I have literally given my entire adult life to my children.

I figured out that I was ready to spread my wings a bit more. Be selfish. I’ve burned myself out by over giving of myself. I haven’t taken a vacation. Ever. I now know that I should have worked harder earlier on to find a healthy balance. But being a young mother I felt like I had to prove that I was an excellent mother. I know for a fact the illusion of “good mothering” is what gets some of us so caught up in the whirlwind and before we know it we are all anxious, sad, and empty.

Our children need us.

However, we also need us. I am learning how to become my own superhero first. The better I get at focusing on myself, the less anxious and sad I feel. I am a work in progress. If you take nothing else from this post; know that you are to alone. Get some help, grab a journal, and keep nursing that baby!

Some great info about full term breastfeeding or “extended breastfeeding” http://www.llli.org/ba/feb01.html

Be sure to join us in our social media accounts to be up to date with the progress of our project!

And… Don’t forget to share your brelfies using our HT #BreastfeedingWorld 

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Joi Barnett

Joi is a Believer, wife, mother, entrepreneur, and artisan, who has a passion for educating and empowering women holistically. Using family and women’s health as a focus, Joi has built an all natural soap business and doula practice to serve the needs of her community. She lives and loves in Indiana with her husband and 4 children.

The post My Truth and Journey Through Postpartum Depression appeared first on Breastfeeding World.

But if we’re honest, making it magical can also be stressful. Breastfeeding can add an extra layer of stress to the holiday buzz. We can concede that what we all dread most are the unsolicited comments of our relatives. It is my hope that every breastfeeding momma will smoothly sail though the holiday season without one snarky remark like “Are you STILL breastfeeding?”. Or maybe your family is more inclined to not so subtly suggest that you go into another room to feed your little one. Whatever their angle might be, it would be nice if everyone would concern themselves with something aside from your boobs!

This year my desire it that you won’t just survive the holidays, but that you would thrive! Here are a few tips that I think will help you do just that

Be confident.

For some of us breastfeeding in public can be anxiety inducing. Even if “the public” is related to you. Take a little time now to build yourself up. Look in the mirror and tell yourself that you are magical. Your body alone can sustain a human life for a full year!! You, my dear, are amazing. Wear that like a badge of honor. Put on your invisible super hero cape when you embark on your holiday advendtrues this year. No one will want to mess with a superhero.

Plan.

 Holidays are stressful enough without adding a cranky baby to the mix. Offer the breast to baby 30 minutes before each departure. If you have a few stops to make in one day, feed the baby before leaving each stop. This may not appear to be helpful on the surface, but think about how much better you’ll be able to let those comments roll off when you show up at ease. Offfering the breast before leaving each destination will hopefully calm baby for the ride so that you can enjoy the break in between relatives. Make your car your sanctuary. You can’t have a sanctuary if baby is crying from being hungry and or passed around.

Settle into your NO.

Most breastfed babies want their mothers/fathers. If they are old enough to recognize who is holding them they may not want to be whisked away by strange relative after strange relative. They will want to be close to you. Don’t be bullied into letting your baby be taken away because Aunt Bertha hasn’t seen them before. You can walk baby over to Aunt Bertha and let her admire at the distance that you and your baby are most comfortable with. Don’t feel bad about saying no. No is absolutely your right. If you anticipate having an issue with a particular person about the boundaries you’ve set then take a moment to have a talk with your partner so that you will have back up. 

Wear your baby.

Baby wearing is a great way to do many things. It keeps baby feeling calm and secure. If you have that right system you can easily nurse baby without much adjustment or distraction. Your family may not even know what’s going on. And it is a lot harder for people to whisk baby away.

Consider nursing in a quiet room or corner.

This is a good option if you want to remove yourself form any possible discussion about your choice to breastfeed. It also works well for babies 6 months and older who’ve started to become distracted by movement and loud noises. You can nurse in peace and hopefully efficiently without baby poppin on and off the breast to see the happenings.

I hope at least one of these tips helps you breastfeed with confidence this holiday season! Do you have any helpful tips for dealing with your opinionated and pushy relatives?

Be sure to join us in our social media accounts to be up to date with the progress of our project!

And… Don’t forget to share your brelfies using our HT #BreastfeedingWorld 

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Joi Barnett

Joi is a Believer, wife, mother, entrepreneur, and artisan, who has a passion for educating and empowering women holistically. Using family and women’s health as a focus, Joi has built an all natural soap business and doula practice to serve the needs of her community. She lives and loves in Indiana with her husband and 4 children.

The post Opinionated Relatives: 5 ways to Thrive this holiday season! appeared first on Breastfeeding World.