Black Lives Matter

I did another of what I am calling “yard visits” today.   I drove up to Boulder and with the Flat Irons as a backdrop, I set up my equipment;  a soft mat under a tree for when we would check on belly and baby, and a plastic bin with my equipment and supplies.  Then I took a seat on a stool about 8 feet away from my patient.  The distance felt foreign, but much, much smaller than the distance I have felt via telehealth visits.  As we talked about the discomforts she was having in her body, I watched how she moved and where she pointed.  When we explored how things were going emotionally, I could better appreciate her facial expressions and body language.  I could sense what was going on energetically.  Through these observations – of mind, body and heart – I provided care that was individualized and connected.

When we transitioned to the hands on portion of her visit, I put on my PPE, and she lay down on the soft mat.  She smiled as she felt the warmth the sunshine had brought to the mat.  As a breeze blew around us, I felt her belly and baby, confirming what she already knew – baby head down with knees poking out.  The baby’s heart beat was strong and brought another smile to her face – I listened a bit longer and said hello to the baby.  When I did her lab draw she said, “Wow, I never imagined I would be looking up at the blue sky through a tree as I got my blood drawn”.   When done with the physical checks and lab work, we returned to our distance and wrapped up our visit.  As I drove away, I felt clear that we had done something more than “bare minimum checkup”.  Yes, we did the checkup, but more than that, we connected.  At this time, and always, finding ways to enhance connection is front and center in my priorities.  I hope each of you find meaningful connection as we journey through this time of separation.

Mobile Clinic

As we walk through these uncertain times, I want to update you on the things I am doing to support your wellness along the journey.  First, I am now offering all my health care services (and some expanded options) via a mobile unit.  I give specific details of why and how here, but in brief, I will come to your location to provide care.  We will do the “talking part” of your visit outside with appropriate social distance (or via telehealth) and I will provide the brief close contact care in your yard, or as needed, in my mobile clinic.  I will continue to provide prenatal, postnatal and general women’s health care.  I will also provide care for the newborn for the first month.  Call or email if you would like to discuss further.

Online Bowspring

Second is Bowspring classes. It has been inspiring and challenging to teach online Bowspring classes.  We are into our 5th week and I am going to adjust the classes to meet the needs and levels of those interested.  I will now be offering 4 different classes: Intro, Elementals, Level 1 and Prenatal. You can see the schedule here.  If you want to join the classes and these times won’t work, email me ASAP so we can pick times that work for most.   Also,  as the weather warms ups, I will be looking at doing some classes outside… haven’t quite figured out the details on that, but look for that in May.

Finally, I will continue to offer the Mindfulness Meditation.  Right now it is on Thursdays from 2-3pm, but if you want to join and a different time would make that possible, email me.

Nancy Goodman, LCSW provides counseling through her practice, A Parent Connection.  She sent this suggested activity via email today, and it resonates with me as a mindful way for us to grow during this time.  I thought some of you might find it supportive.  I share it here with her permission.

As we continue to live in this odd, unsustainable time, we have a unique opportunity to learn some things about ourselves. To that end, here’s a writing suggestion for you to work on over the next few weeks or however long this lasts. It is designed to be a work-in-progress kind of writing exercise, so maybe keep it somewhere where you can add to it every few days or every week.

I’m picturing one page, front and back. On each side, draw a line down the middle so you have 4 columns total, then label the columns:

1. Things I love about living in isolation
2. Things I miss about my old life
3. Things I hate about living in isolation
4. Things I do not miss about my old life

There may be overlaps, but each column title might bring to mind different aspects of all this. Judgment-free is key! No one has to know what you like and don’t like about our current situation. You will not be publicly shamed for being bummed that you have to work while others wish they could, or if you frankly despise having to being around children all day and night or if you are in heaven and could live like this for the rest of your life.

The exercise is for you to get clarity about who you are and what is meaningful to you, what is hard for you, what you need and what you really don’t want. My hope is that when we all start to create a new normal, that we do it consciously.

The human tendency will be to fall back into the way we’ve always done things or to mindlessly run out to get what we haven’t been able to have, whether we really want it back or not. (I just keep picturing millions of Americans flocking to Disneyland the moment it opens just because they can!)  Not that there’s anything wrong with that–unless we do it unconsciously because we don’t have our more personal vision to pick from.

If we take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime time as something that has created a quasi-clean slate in many of our lives, we can choose a little more consciously to:

…work more, or work differently, or work less…to spend different kinds of time with friends and family…to learn more online or be online significantly less…to garden more or shop more efficiently less often or cook more or eat out more…we might walk the dog somewhere new from now on because we see more or less of the neighbors…we might be ready to quit this job and look for a new one or we may have to look for a new one and so look for something more fitting…we might realize we need marriage counseling or parenting coaching…we might want to spend more time alone in the basement or more time living together in the main part of the house….we might decide we will be more fulfilled if we are more involved in our community from now on or might realize that we’ve been spread too thin and are much higher functioning when we lay low.

Big changes, little changes. Now’s the time for awareness about all that. The more ideas we have now, the easier and more committed we might be in a few weeks or so when things start to open up and either suck us or invite us back in again.

At this time, as we all shift to being at home, I am putting together ways we can connect on line.  I have three ways I am doing this: Telehealth, Bowspring classes, Group Offerings.

Telehealth:

I am finding creative ways to continue providing care while minimizing exposure risk.

• At this point, all insurance plans I have checked with are waiving extra fees for Telehealth visits and reimbursing as though they are office visits.   Email or call if you would like to make an appointment.
• I continue to provide prenatal care and am doing this in a mixed format with part of the visit via video and then a brief in person check in on mama and baby.
• I am percolating ideas around putting together a mobile unit so I can provide home visits for the first month after birth without the family needing to leave their home/yard and without me needing to go in their home.  Anyone have a spare RV or van conversion?

Bowspring:

I will be offering Bowspring classes starting next week.  You can read more about Bowspring and the class descriptions here.  What I can say in brief is that Bowspring is an approach to movement that encourages us to open and strengthen.  Just what we need right now.  The intro classes are appropriate for anyone at any level of fitness.

Here is what I will be offering starting next week 3/23/2020:

Introduction to the Bowspring: Mondays from 7:30am-8:30am (any can attend)

Level 1 Bowspring: Tuesdays from 7:30am-8:30am (must have completed the “10 Key Areas” through the Intro to Bowspring classes)

Prenatal Bowspring:  Day and Time to be determine, email if interested.

Parent Chat: Wednesdays 10:00am-11:00am (FREE and more details below)

Postpartum Bowspring: Wednesdays 11:00am-noon

Introduction to Bowspring: Thursdays from 7:30am-8:30am

Level 1 Bowspring: Fridays from 7:30am-8:30am (must have completed the “10 Key Areas” through Intro to Bowspring classes)

All classes will be live and via Zoom.

Pricing:

$8 for drop in

$30 for 30 days of access to Prenatal Bowspring

$30 for 30 days of access to Postpartum Bowspring

$40 for 30 days of unlimited access to Introduction to Bowspring classes

$60 for 30 days of unlimited access to all Bowspring classes except prenatal and postpartum

Email me with questions.  You can sign up by making payment via PayPal to awallace@littletreemidwife.com.  Once I receive payment, I will send Zoom link.

Group Offerings

I am going to trial a couple things here.  At this time, these will all be free offerings.

Parent Chat: Wednesdays 10-11am.  This is an opportunity for pregnant people and parents to connect.  I will facilitate the conversation, but mostly it is an opportunity to connect with others.  We can talk about how Corona Virus is impacting your pregnancy and/or parenting, but we can also take a break from Corona Virus and talk about other topics related to pregnancy and/or parenting.  You can find the Zoom link here.

Mindfulness Meditation: Thursdays from 2-3pm.  For me a steady mindfulness practice is key to maintain calm in the midst of a storm.  I will provide basic instruction in mindfulness practices, we will “sit” together for 20 minutes and then have time for discussion and questions.  All are welcome and you can leave after the meditation if you need to get back to other things. You can find the Zoom link here.