Embrace your inner Goddess

I've been contemplating the cycle of the three goddesses of late: Kali, Saraswati and Lakshmi. It somehow helps is I place myself at any one time within their realm and understand "oh, that's where I am now, huh, so this is what I need to do".

If you're not familiar with the three goddesses, here's the lowdown:

Kali is your mother when she's really mad and fighting your corner. That's right, you wouldn't want to get on the wrong side of her.

Saraswati is the one Bridget Jones always wanted to be. Organised and structured, she's in charge of music and literature.

Lakshmi is bountiful beauty, when I want to bring something into my life I look to Lakshmi, she's the
nectar. She is abundance.

What I love about these three girls is that they are all within me at any one time. We move through
the cycle because none of them work alone. We have to have fierce, raw power to destroy that
which we no longer need. Then things become a little clearer and we start to organise and plan.
After that, we get to enjoy the fruits of our labour. It helps me a lot to accept things when it all goes
a bit pear shaped, the motivation and tools to rebuild and remain humble when my dreams come
true.

How a Doula Can Help a New Mother after Birth

I'm delighted to introduce this guest post from Katie Moore on how a doula can help a new mother...

When an expecting mother is nearing the end of her term, the benefit of having a doula, or labor coach present during the birth of a child becomes clear. With her experience, a doula can bring to the forefront the personal and individual aspects of childbirth, which can help enrich a mother’s overall birthing experience.

Likewise, a post-partum doula can help enhance a mother and newborn’s experience after birth. It may surprise some expectant mothers to know that the knowledge and skills of a doula can help them well beyond the occasion of birth itself. A doula's scope extends to the whole of the child-bearing experience, not just on what to expect during delivery and for assistance in make decisions on options available, like pain management methods, umbilical cord blood banking, immunizations and circumcision.  Indeed, a doula's greatest gift can come after birth in fostering a bond between a new mother and her child.

After giving birth, it is inevitable that a woman feel tired and overwhelmed. The experience of labor will have left a mother exhausted. Babies often need more attention than their exhausted mothers can afford to give right away. New mothers themselves require help with things they could ordinarily manage on their own. In these circumstances, a doula can provide the helpful knowledge that can allow a new mother to bond with her infant, and to insure that both mother and child are comfortable and well.

A post-partum doula can be a new mother's best source of information about baby care. Unlike baby nurses or nannies, doulas are trained to care for both new mothers and infants, and they are familiar with the problems and questions that can arise just after birth. A doula can help get a mother through the difficult post-birth period with less worry than she might experience on her own. With the knowledge and the skills the doula shares, the mother becomes more confident in caring for her baby. The transition becomes a smooth and a joyful one.

Confidence in her own ability to care for her new baby may be most important gift a mother receives from a doula. A woman in the care of a doula in the time after giving birth is in a position of learning from a sensitive teacher what her child needs from her. More than that, a doula's care can put a mother at her ease, making her a more relaxed, more receptive parent. When her mission is successfully accomplished, the doula has prepared the mother for her new role as a capable and happy parent.

Katie Moore has written and submitted this article. Katie is an active blogger who discusses the topics of, motherhood, children, fitness, health and all other things Mommy. She enjoys writing, blogging, and meeting new people! To connect with Katie contact her via her blog, Moore From Katie or her twitter, @moorekm26.