San Francisco Midwifery

Last Virgo of the year Here is the newest arrival. A little baby boy, so new and fresh, he doesn’t have a name yet.He might be a Ferdinand ? Congratulations Sara and Olivier and “big” brother Guilles. Another baby born in the comfort of the family bed.He was born just as the sun came up. There is a lot to celebrate and to be grateful for today. The arrival of a beautifully vibrant baby boy, the strength of a young mother who trusted birth, supported by a...

New Beginnings September 10th 2014 Someone said the last full moon was a “super moon”. Folks often think the full moon is a good time to have a baby.Maybe it’s a little romantic to think that. Though I would say the full moon is full of interesting surprises. I remember full moons during my midwifery training in one of West Berlins largest hospitals, that seemed to come out of ER movies or a comedy show. Experiences of finding the night cleaning staff completely...

Buddhist Parenting The Emptiness of Family: A Guide to Engaged Parenting. When we enter into the responsibilities of parenthood we welcome another sentient being into our mind-stream and open our mandala of practice to a fledgling life. This is no small responsibility, no momentary hefting of weight to be placed down later. We shoulder the burden of teaching this emerging mind how to interact with, and be prepared for, this world – This life of Samsara – This life of...

Birth. A mystical experience If we allow birth to unfold, it will unfold into an experience of solitude, which is quite different from the slightly sad quality of loneliness.Solitude bares the quality of self-reliance. At this point of the journey, many women get fearful, as the mind naturally opens up and goes to a higher level of consciousness. The sensation of pain will increase with the degree of which we fight and struggle. If we have trained ourselves to observe with...

In the wee early morning hours, just as the sun began to rise, this little girl joined her family. Here you see her big sister Amelie and brother Luke welcoming her and falling in love. Amelie was hoping to name her sister Grace and after careful consideration, this was the name everybody settled on. No doubt, she found a home full of love and adventure. Grace was born in the year of the wood horse with the moon in cancer, the hour of the Phoenix. Her...

Welcome

I hope you find this new website a valuable and interesting look into the world of natural childbirth, mindful parenting, post-partum care, prenatal care, family groups, and other topics of interest to you. You will find my musings on being a midwife and the joys of caring for and helping new families face the challenges of parenthood. I offer encouragement and maybe some humor to soften the harder days of rearing...

Happy Solstice Baby

I am very happy to introduce Bryce G. Martins- De Souza to the community of SF midwifery friends. He arrived at 05:45 on solstice day and was born at home, right by the sea shore. After a warm welcome, he had a large breakfast, which he seemed to enjoy very much. Now him and his mother are resting up together, basking in the love and care of his father, grandmother and not to forget his “big” brother Kailey. Happy...

Happy Birthday….

Happy Birthday Romy Indigo. Congratulations Barbara, Massimo, Isabella, Elias and Guiliano. It was wonderful to see your mother utilize the lemon tree in your families yard for support and your daddy massaging your mothers back. ” Grand”mother Carla had come all the way from Italy to be here for Romy’s birth. While Romy made her way out into her mothers arms, granny was cooking up a storm to be ready...

May 5th International Midwifery Day

For the past 20 years, 50 nations have been honoring May 5th as international midwives day. A day to remind us to reflect upon the importance of midwives and their...

Learning about childbirth 1970

I had my first baby at the tender age of 15. Yes, my mother gave me the option of having a first trimester abortion. After many sleepless and tearful nights, I decided to stay with my baby. Fortunately my mother respected and supported my decision . I was very lucky to live in a small German town, imbedded in a large and loving family system. I was still in High School and school administrators thought it better...

Mindfulness based Childbirth and Parenting Prepara...

by becoming familiar with the basics of mindfulness meditation, we train ourselves to become more aware of our inner and outer environment. By setting aside some time to practice regularly, we are able to largely reduce our stress levels and increase our sense of well being. This method is perfectly suited to prepare for childbirth and parenting. It is a skill needed for the rest of ones life. I am aware that the word...

confessions of a shortsighted rescuer

As the oldest child of 4, I was blueprinted to imagine that I must help others first. I am still more comfortable being on the side of giving, which I now know is not necessarily a virtue. At an early age I developed the guts to be a “first responder” and having a baby at a very young age, further blueprinted me. It only makes sense that this early habit would show up as a loud calling to make midwifery...

A New Beginning

A new pregnancy can bring a multitude of blessings to us as parents and to our close circle of family and friends.We get the opportunity to get a fresh start with a fresh look at ourselves and our environment. We get to explore our habits and make them baby friendly. A small embryo already requires much awareness and parental care. From the moment of conception you are together for good or for bad. Relating to each other...

Meeting Melli, midwife sister from Germany

For months I have been looking forward to welcoming my colleague, Mellie; freshly off the boat from Germany. We both must have been a little nervous about meeting for the first time. We sat next to each other, thinking the same thought… so this is her. We took a long moment to take a firm hold of each others eyes and trust was ignited. Mellie left her native Germany to join her husband, who found work here in...

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