Empowering Women's Health With Amanda

Do you ever feel like your body is a little sluggish? Do you have trouble losing weight, no matter how much you diet or exercise? If so, you may need to give your lymphatic system a cleanse. Your lymphatic system helps remove toxins from the body, and when it's overloaded, it can cause all sorts of problems. Fortunately, there are lots of ways to cleanse your lymphatic system. Keep reading to learn more! 

You are not alone on your journey and I myself was unable to conceive for over twelve years, where I wasn’t on contraceptives or doing anything to prevent pregnancy. During those twelve years, I was in a few different relationships that were anywhere from a year and a half up to six years. The problem had to be with me right? I felt like I was never going to be the mom I had dreamed of being and that I was destined to spend my life alone. Was I broken? What had I done wrong? Was I to blame? I had a lot of thoughts and feelings that I needed to work through as I’m sure you have experienced yourself if you have had your own struggles with infertility. 

A few months ago I was doing GREAT! I had consistency and was showing up in ALL the places, our home was running pretty smoothly and homeschool was moving along at a nice pace. I had routines that were working great for all of us and I was on top of the world. Until I wasn’t. In a week I lost all that momentum and am still working through this episode of procrastination. So here is the thing, sometimes I think we get good at doing all the things and then we throw a wrench in it just because we are making positive progress..

As I was making dinner a few weeks ago I kind of had a realization that I do things a bit different than most in my kitchen and that it may be helpful for other moms who are trying to get dinner on the table. I love to cook but I also like to save money and save myself time for another meal later in the week, can you relate? Sometimes I find myself struggling to get dinner on the table and usually it is when I stop doing these simple actions that make dinner easier to plan on the fly.

I remember my reaction to my second pregnancy (first child) so well. The excitement was so hard to contain and trying to keep the secret until we were ready to share was SO HARD. But the worst part for me was the fear that I was going to do something that would jeopardize my pregnancy in some way. I was in better shape than ever and working out daily, well at least until I let the fear stop me anyways. So I quit doing everything but walking and hiking easy trails and I also went off my bread strike which did nothing for my weight gain. I wanted to live in a bubble. 

With more women looking to birth differently these days I see this question asked a lot. If you are looking to hire a midwife there are a few things to think about before you get to the interview stage. I think that we all want to choose a midwife like we have been choosing doctors over the past decades but that really isn’t an option if you want your needs met. If you choose your midwife by location, fees, and availability alone then you may be disappointed in the service you receive.

Are you a mom who is considering a homebirth but your husband says no? You're not alone! In this blog post, I'll share how I got my homebirth with my husband and how you can too. Keep reading for tips on how to get your partner to see that homebirth is the right choice for you. I remember when I wanted my first homebirth and the long conversations trying to convince my husband that this was the way to go. We even met with a midwife, had all our questions answered, and she aligned with our beliefs in all areas of pregnancy and childbirth. He still wasn’t on board, and it wasn’t about concern for me, which may be the block you are dealing with.

When you have had the cascade of interventions, the experience of being bullied in labor, or ended up with a planned or unplanned cesarean you know that you have questions that need answered. Most of you will go see the same doctor, unless you have moved or had other reasons to switch your providers. Many of you will find out that your care provider is less than enthusiastic about you wanting to “try” for a VBAC. You have questions and want answers, which you should, but will you actually ask your questions? Are you too nervous to have the conversation because your doctor makes you feel inferior any time you ask a question? Here are some ways that you can prepare for your VBAC, that you have control over and will have a huge impact on whether you are successful or not.

Man if this isn’t a topic that comes across my feed daily! If you are pregnant, FTM or planning your next, I’m sure it has crossed your mind too. From my experience most women believe that having a baby has to be painful. It’s understandable, given our sources, that pain is pretty much the biggest part of having a baby that women worry about. I have been there too, trust me, with my first homebirth I had back labor and I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.

January of this year marks 8 years since I gave in to having a scheduled c-section. This was something I didn’t want and, to be honest, I didn’t think it was necessary, even with my daughter being breech. See, my OBGYN had criticized me, belittled me, and just plain torn me down throughout my entire pregnancy, including pushing the topic of a c-section from 4 months on. When I caved it was because I had no support or knowledge of what was possible, and, to be completely honest, I wanted my OBGYN out of my life...