Reading List

The Sacred Doula Workshop/class/retreat is happening in less than two weeks and I could not be more excited! It will be a week of absolute bliss, including soaking in the soothing waters of Breitenbush Hot Springs, eating wholesome vegetarian meals, and exploring the remote wilderness where I will be staying for a week without cellular reception or internet. I look forward to learning about childbirth and womanhood, reflecting through meditation, dance, yoga and art, and connecting with other women that have similar passions. This course is as much a vacation as it is an educational experience.

My eagerness to learn is being interrupted by work and I wish I could skip out and sit at home in the sunny loft and read my books. Oh, books! I have slowly been reading these three prerequisite books:

The Doula Book: How a Trained Labor Companion Can Help You Have a Shorter, Easier, and Healthier Birth 

Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Newborn: The Complete Guide (medically updated)

The Birth Partner, Third Edition: A Complete Guide to Childbirth for Dads, Doulas, and All Other Labor Companions (Birth Partner: A Complete Guide to Childbirth for Dads, Doulas, &)


And just today my huge delivery of books arrived! The birth-related book cue just got a whole lot longer, say an extra 11 pieces of literature. All of these are either recommended by my instructor or by PALS and/or DONA, two certifying organizations for doulas.

• The Nursing Mother's Companion: Revised Edition 
• Ina May's Guide to Childbirth
• Birthing from Within: An Extra-Ordinary Guide to Childbirth Preparation
• Your Amazing Newborn 
• Special Women: The Role of the Professional Labor Assistant
• Gentle Birth Choices
• Sacred Birthing: Birthing a New Humanity
• An Easier Childbirth: A Mother's Guide to Birthing Normally 
• The Labor Progress Handbook: Early Interventions to Prevent and Treat Dystocia
• Postpartum Survival Guide
• Beyond the Birth: What No One Ever Talks About

As interested as I am in the birth process, reproduction, breastfeeding, postpartum depression, and other relevant topics, I look forward to picking up a good piece of completely unrelated fiction every now and then to  keep myself centered. March and April have been busy so before I sign off here's a recap of what's been happening and what's on the calendar.

We hosted Mr. Cat as our houseguest for two weeks. That was interesting. The cat is best described as aggressively affectionate... and he kept us up many nights with his purring, walking, face-licking, meowing, head-butting, blanket-burrowing, etc. We had fun but have since then reconsidered our desire for ever having a cat.

The Seattle Sounders (our pro soccer team) played Portland for an opener! A bunch of friends all bought tickets and we cheered the team on in the rain. I blame their loss on the foul weather, but Carson and I had lots of fun at our first major sporting event together. I also entered a mullet contest at a bar for the chance to win a 2008 mustang, but apparently my attempt at wig-wearing wasn't popular. Bummer. The online voting ended up being rigged so they did a random of the 56 best contestants (myself included) for a random winner.

Last weekend I was able to spend a day with my cousin and her kids, equaling fun and absolute exhaustion at the Children's Museum. It was so nice to see family and feel connected to people in this vast city, if only for a day. But before I have time to get sappy in my writing, a bunch of Red Crossers celebrated a coworkers engagement that weekend by doing lunch at the Red Hook Brewery and taking a tour/tasting of their facility. Awesome! The next tour of Chateau St. Michelle winery was not quite as fun, but informative and still tasty. I guess demographics of the tour group(s) differs.

And on to this weekend-- my good friend Amanda is in town! We made an appearance at HonkFest West, a street festival with brass band performances, today for a bit. We ate sushi, played checkers at a cafe, explored the city, ate yummy Chinese food and deserts in the International Distrcit, and mostly enjoyed each others' company. The fun never stops. Tomorrow is some serious sampling of vegetarian food at Seattle Center's VEGFEST!

Next weekend is a VISTA camping trip at Larrabee State Park, and then on to Oregon for training at the end of the month! May will bring a massive Red Cross potluck, a VISTA gardening day for Seattle, hopefully a bit of asparagus pickling/canning, a Local Yarn Store tour, and ideally a Memorial Day vacation (to Montana?) for Carson and I. We'll see where this mad life takes me... hopefully straight to bed in a few minutes. I'm tired!