A month of reflection
I have so much to share with you, which could be all over the place, but I'm going to try to segue each topic into each other for some sort of flow.
I didn't send you an email last week (though I never promised I would send weekly messages; that's what tends to happen), but with attending a beautiful birth on Saturday, Labor Day on Monday, and then honoring the anniversary of Elise's passing on Thursday, the week was a little "off".
Three years ago this past week, Hurricane Florence came through, and brought with her three babies whom I had the pleasure of meeting upon their entry into the world.
I don't always attend births, but it is an honor to be able to do so. Seeing the majesty of LIFE entering the world is something truly remarkable. It changes not just the mother or family, but anyone present.
This is why I love working with women during their matrescense: it's so powerful and that journey looks different for everyone.
One of my dear friends, Mel, has the most incredible and heart-wrenching story when it comes to her journey into motherhood, and she bravely shared it with the world alongside the introduction of the CADET act. I hope you'll read her story.
Speaking of military, my heartfelt thanks to those who serve and have served in our military; I know many of you chose to serve as a result of 9/11.
I am curious what your reflection of that fateful day looked like as we passed the 20 year mark this weekend. We had some very good conversations in our Women's Fitness class Saturday morning.
Segueing into classes: our only LIVE Postpartum Rehab (plus (SURPRISE!) a FREE Plunge workshop on the final day with Caroline) is open for registration here: https://www.trianglecrc.com/postpartum-rehab.
One of the incredible benefits of the Plunge is in perineal healing in the postpartum period. Once lochia has stopped, using the Plunge is appropriate (and recommended!).
If you don't know what lochia is, it is not a Norse god, but the bleeding that a woman experiences after giving birth (caused by the wound left on her uterus from the placenta detaching after the baby is born), and it's similar to a very long period.
Which brings me to the interesting new funding that the NIH is awarding - $1.67 million - to study menstruation effects from the c-_-d shots.
And while we're on the topic which shall not be named, I strongly encourage you to watch the president's full speech from last Thursday wherein he announced the next steps for our country.
If that has you all doom-and-gloomy, here's a free class on improving immunity as it relates to that thing which shall not be named from Susun Weed (whose herbal infusions I keep raving about) that my friend Erika Eno shared with me.
It's probably also worth checking out the fact that Children's Health Defense has sued the FDA for deceptive and rushed licensing.
While we're talking about the federal government, did you know that our founding documents now come with a "harmful content" warning label in the National Archives? When you click on that link, you'll see a bar at the top. Here's what "harmful content" is classified as.
At this point I'd just like to say that I've done really well at drawing all of this together and will attempt to continue to do so. I am impressing myself and wanted to pause for celebration. Moving on.
On the topic of harmful, I want to share with you this study that I came across regarding vigorous exercise in the third trimester of pregnancy. Most guidelines are regarding low-to-moderate intensity, so this is a bit different, and I'm sure the results will surprise a lot of people.
It showed a few things, but namely a small, but significant, reduced risk of prematurity in babies of mothers who engaged in vigorous physical activity (it's in Fig. 7). The study, which was conducted in low-risk women, showed no increased risk of an adverse event occurring as a result of vigorous exercise.
I've been trying to tell people for years that the work of James Clapp and Catherine Cram showed us how absolutely safe and necessary exercise was during pregnancy. This adds another layer to that. Granted, as my aforementioned friend Mel says: just because you CAN do something doesn't mean you SHOULD. ;-)
Exercise during pregnancy is a topic that many people are just plain confused about. Another one (okay, this is my weakest transition, I'll admit it) is intermittent fasting or fasting in general. I'm not going to tell you when to eat, but I will say that biologically speaking, we didn't really get used to three square meals (or 6 small meals or whatever it is that most Americans are doing these days) until the last century, and health hasn't exactly improved during that time.
I played around with some intentional intermittent fasting a few years ago, and it helped me reconnect with when I was actually hungry and when I was just eating out of habit or convenience. I don't always do it, but on the 10th day of the moon, my calendar is marked as a reminder to fast for the day. Yes, the day. And tomorrow is the 10th day, so I'll be fasting and will also definitely be practicing kundalini yoga. Here's why.
Holy crap, we did it. Either that, or you skipped to the end, and I don't blame you for that. Sometimes you just wanna know how a story ends.
Well, my friend, this story is ongoing.
Last thing before I release you from this prison of words and links that you are freely entered into: I cannot recommend Lillian of Inkognito Tattoo enough.
Hummingbirds are incredibly dear to me as a reminder of Elise, and she did this gorgeous piece for me that I am swooning over. If you are in need of some INCREDIBLE artistry, go see Lillian.
xox
Lindsay