Tag: Support Local

Two Peas Wellness with Casey Thomas-Hardesty

Fitness, Nutrition, & Health Designed for You

Maybe it is all the feasting we do around this time of year or the wonderful possibilities of a fresh start in the coming new year, but I always start to rethink my fitness routines and nutrition strategies. For my final local connection blog post of the year, I want to introduce you to my friend Casey Thomas-Hardesty of Two Peas Wellness. Casey possesses a wealth of information about health, nutrition, and fitness. Growing a human is hard work, and Casey helps you feel better both during and after pregnancy, no matter how long it has been.

Casey Thomas-Hardesty is a mom of 3, certified Nutritional Therapy Consultant, Pregnancy and Postpartum Athleticism Coach, and the owner of Two Peas Wellness, LLC. Her mission is to help you take the stress out of nutrition and fitness, heal your relationship with your body, and gain knowledge to make confident and informed decisions for your health and happiness. She specializes in gut health, core and pelvic floor health, and pregnancy and postpartum nutrition and fitness. 

I asked Casey a few questions to help us get to know her and Two Peas Wellness a little better:

1.      What is your favorite thing about your job? I absolutely love when I see women learning to trust their bodies again. When they aren’t scared to move, can do activities they love but were previously told were out of reach, or when they gain freedom in their food choices. It’s so rewarding to me to watch them grow. 

2.      What do you wish people knew about your business? I wish women knew the importance of having a properly trained coach for their prenatal fitness and postpartum recovery, no matter if they are a high level athlete, weekend warrior, or a mom that just wants to be able to chase after her kids. Research clearly shows that fitness and movement is important during this chapter, but we are learning that HOW you move is much more important than WHAT movement you are doing. The how isn’t taught in any traditional fitness certifications. Having a coach that truly understands the spectrum of considerations that impact pregnant and postpartum women, including core and pelvic floor health, mental health, and delivery method, and can help you translate that to real life can be invaluable to your postpartum recovery and long term health.  That is what I do at Two Peas Wellness!

3.      What is the most stressful thing about your job? Being a full time entrepreneur at Two Peas Wellness is definitely hard. I left a job that was the majority income for our family to pursue my passion. It’s so worth it though to be able to do what I love and help women in the process. 

4.      What is your favorite thing about living in the tri-state area? I love the small town feel, especially for raising my family. We also have a lot to offer with holistic and traditional health services, activities, and entertainment. 

5.      Where can people find you if they want to learn more about your services? On Facebook or Instagram at @twopeaswellness or visit my website at www.TwoPeasWellness.com

Casey not only knows her stuff, but manages to be both very professional and personable at the same time. She knows the stresses and worries of motherhood because she has been there x3. She has specialized training and expertise that so many fitness and nutrition experts are sadly lacking. She is approachable and never makes you feel bad about whatever choices you have made for your nutrition and fitness. You may have a new person in your life, and you may feel all rearranged, but Casey can help you navigate the physical newness too! Contact Casey at Two Peas Wellness to book a consult and learn more, and tell her we sent you.

Families Deserve Support

The continuous support of a doula is supported by science!

The continuous support of a doula is an evidence-based approach to improve outcomes, decrease intervention, & increase satisfaction. Multiple scientific studies and committee opinions have concluded that doulas make a difference! This is an easy to read summary of the evidence if reading academic text isn’t your thing. As a birth doula, I believe that all birthing families deserve support, and not just on the big day.

These are the kinds of support that I have been able to provide for my clients in the past:

Prenatal

Knowing what all the local options are for prenatal care and planning for birth. Calming fears is another thing I do to support my clients in the prenatal period, and this comes in many forms, but most often through education. I also find myself supporting clients prenatally by connecting them with trusted professionals. This can be for all kinds of things including prenatal massage, chiropractic, and more. I also am happy to share my shopping tips when clients are looking for specific things!

Birth

As a doula, during birth I am giving physical support by helping my clients move around. I give hand massages and help keep their gown closed as we walk the halls. I also like to say that I help clients ask more questions about their care. This is part of helping them know what all their options are as well. I like to say that sometimes I help them order off the secret menu of options that aren’t necessarily the norm, but are perfectly fine to request.

One area that I wish I could support birthing families better here is during cesarean surgeries. All families deserve support, and it can be so hard for families when their plans go sideways. In many other places in the United States, they allow doulas in the operating room as a second support person. Doulas are even trained in how to behave inside an operating room, and how to support clients having a cesarean. Doulas are not currently allowed in operating room of all our local hospitals, but maybe we can change that in the future.

Postpartum: direction to proper resources & support!!

The most important thing that I can do for birth doula clients is to direct them to the people who are actual experts in the things that they are dealing with in the moment. If they have questions about breastfeeding, I make sure I send them to an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant. That is just one example, but knowing WHO to ask questions is really important. Breastfeeding is a great example because so many people don’t really understand how little training most physicians have in breastfeeding science, and they end up getting non-evidence-based advice despite best intentions by everyone involved. Part of my job as a doula is helping clients connect to the right people for whatever questions they might have. I don’t always have the answers, but I do make it my business to know who to send you to.

I have not had the capacity to serve postpartum clients this year, but VERY soon, I am going to have an announcement coming, so be on the lookout for that in early 2020!

All families deserve the support of a doula. Part of my job is helping insure you get the right support at the right time from the right people. I’m constantly learning, so I can continue to know the best local and online resources for my clients.

What was the most helpful resource you found to help you after you brought your new baby home?

Midwives in Southwest Indiana?

Evansville needs midwives to support healthy birthing families!

Southwest Indiana needs midwives, and the lack of them here is surprising. It is frustrating for me as a doula for several reasons. Our area deserves to have midwifery options, especially as midwifery care has proven benefits for patient satisfaction, cost, and birth outcomes.

What does the landscape look like for people searching for midwifery care here? We currently have two Certified Professional Midwives that travel here for home births, one from Bedford and the other from Bloomington. However, home birth is not an option for everyone. In 2019, we only have one Certified Nurse Midwife catching babies at one Evansville area hospital.

So what is the big deal? Midwives are experts in normal pregnancy and birth. According to the Midwives Alliance of North America “all midwives are trained to provide comprehensive prenatal care and education, guide labor and birth, address complications, and care for newborns.” Midwives are not surgeons, and all obstetricians are, which fundamentally changes the way that they approach your care. The Midwifery Model of Care “whether practiced in clinics, private homes, hospitals or birth centers, has at its core the characteristics of being with women, listening to women, and sharing knowledge and decision-making with women” (MANA). Midwives expect pregnancy and birth to be normal and watch out for signs that pregnancy, labor, and delivery might need intervention. That is not the same approach as an Obstetrician, and if you want to read more about the comparison or some social science research about this I highly recommend this book and especially this article and this one too from Robbie Davis-Floyd. She is the most renowned anthropological expert when it comes to this stuff!

Midwives have also been proven time and time again to be linked to better outcomes for their patients. People who use midwives for their care are THREE TIMES more likely to be satisfied with their care when compared with obstetrician-led care. Midwifery care has also been shown to be the most cost effective care in the hospital setting.

Who cares? Well, I do, and I’m not alone. I chose midwifery care for myself when I delivered my babies in Cleveland. As a doula, I regularly get asked for recommendations about providers, and I can’t even count the number of disappointed people I have talked to when I tell them that there is only one midwife here in town available to catch babies in one hospital. There are plenty of factors that go into choosing a provider, including insurance, location, practice style, personality, and so much more. While one midwife is certainly better than none, people choosing to birth here surely deserve more options. We need more midwives in Southwest Indiana.

For a little comparison, just down the road in Owensboro, KY there are 4 Certified Nurse Midwives catching babies at the hospital. Owensboro has a population of around 60,000. Evansville has a population of >115,000! If we include the populations of the surrounding 5 counties (Gibson, Posey, Spencer, Vanderburgh, & Warrick) We have a local population of over 320,000 people, and we know that there are people traveling here from Northern Kentucky, Eastern Illinois, and even further counties in Indiana to give birth, and they aren’t even included in that population count! Not every pregnancy and birth here needs to be attended by a surgeon. Yes, family practice physicians are also an excellent option, and there are some great ones here, but midwifery care is more specialized and has a different approach than the medical model of birth.

Southwest Indiana needs midwives, and we have some currently working to complete their training. As I sit writing this I know three midwives who are currently in school and planning to practice here when they graduate. Two will be Certified Nurse Midwives who catch babies in the hospital and one will be a Certified Professional Midwife who attends home births. Growing families deserve options for their care, and these midwives will be an amazing addition to our community when they are finished with their training. I can’t wait for the day when birthing families in Southwest Indiana have more midwives to support them as they grow.

Have you ever considered hiring a midwife instead of a physician for your pregnancy, birth, and postpartum care?

Pregnancy Pains

Nausea, exhaustion, sciatica, oh my!

Pregnancy is not always sweet smiles, glowing skin, and thick beautiful hair, sometimes it is vomiting multiple times a day, exhaustion and shooting pains down the back of your leg when you move. In today’s blog post I want to be real about pregnancy and give a few tips for what you can do for these 3 specific things: nausea, exhaustion, & sciatica. These were my 3 biggest complaints as a pregnant person, and I honestly want people to know that you are not a whiner if you are experiencing these 3 things and don’t know what to do. I want to give you practical tips for taking care of these on your own and how to know when to seek out help. 

My first pregnancy complaint was nausea. I hate that we call it “morning sickness” when it honestly can last all day long. Most people experience the greatest nausea in the first trimester, but I got really lucky to be able to experience it until I was 25-ish weeks. I certainly know it could have been worse; hyperemesis gravidarum is no joke! My best tips for getting through nausea are to keep healthy high protein snacks on hand, drink plenty of water, and don’t let your stomach ever be empty. If you are having acid reflux or heartburnissues, I always like to recommend papaya enzymes, which can be found at most health food stores locally in a chewable form and for not much money. If you are having trouble keeping any food down and are experiencing symptoms of dehydration, talk to you provider about other things that might be helpful, which can include medications. 

Exhaustion for me personally was a big problem as well. I was in graduate school while pregnant both times. Naps were honestly the very best thing for me, but they aren’t always possible when you are working and/or taking care of other kids. I get that. Sometimes even when you get a full 8 hours of sleep, growing a human takes all the energy you have and you don’t have any extra left to give by the end of the day. I always like to recommend getting up and moving around to give yourself an energy jolt. Stretch your legs. Get some fresh air. Splash cold water on your face. Some people drink a little caffeine, but you’ll want to figure out what works best for your situation.

Finally, I want to talk about sciatica. Have you ever moved just to have a pain shoot from the very top of your leg all the way down the back of your leg to your foot. That is sciatica. I suffered with sciatica during both of my pregnancies, and I personally found stretching and a regular yoga practice to be the most effective ways to keep the sciatica away.  

We have some really amazing local options for prenatal yoga that I know and trust! Having spoken with the instructors for these 3 different courses I can tell you that they know what they are doing, are trained, knowledgeable, and compassionate instructors who can help you relieve some of those aches and pains as well as helping reinforce that mind-body connection.

YMCA Prenatal Yoga

Evansville Yoga Center

The Women’s Hospital

If your pain persists or worsens, it is always a great idea to speak to your provider and they may even refer you to a physical therapist who can help you. 

The best news I can tell you is that for most of these pregnancy pains, there is a cure: birth. The best way to get rid of pregnancy induced anything, is to not be pregnant anymore, and that happens to everyone eventually. I won’t even tell you that you have to enjoy your pregnancy. Pains like this certainly can make pregnancy really unbearable, but I promise that hating the process of growing a baby inside of your body does NOT make you a bad parent. You can love your baby without loving the pains of pregnancy. 

Want more personalized tips for getting through your pregnancy pains and local resources? Contact us today for an interview.

Meeting You Where You Are: Beacon Breastfeeding Support, LLC

Individualized feeding support now available in your tri-state home.

Today is the last day of World Breastfeeding Week 2019, and I could not let this week finish without highlighting one of the most amazing new resources we have here in the tri-state area. Holly Phillips has worked as a birth professional for the past 8 years, as a DONA certified birth doula, Lamaze certified childbirth educator, and La Leche League leader. Holly has a true passion for helping growing families, and is now branching out in a new business as this area’s only independent international board certified lactation consultant! I have known Holly for close to 6 years, and can tell you that she is fantastically warm and bubbly with an enormous heart for service, but I would be remiss if I didn’t mention how very INTELLIGENT and savvy she is too. Are you as curious about her new business as I was? Then read on to find out her answers to my top 5 questions:

1. Why are you passionate about helping new families
with breastfeeding? 

My passion for helping families with breastfeeding began with my own
difficulties nursing my first baby. We worked with numerous feeding
specialists in the hospital and once we were discharged. However, my
daughter was never able to breastfeed. I became an exclusive pumper and decided to educate myself so that my next attempts at breastfeeding
might be more successful. As a doula, and later as a La Leche League
leader I had the honor of assisting families with breastfeeding education, but I still wanted to do more. In January 2019, I became an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant because it allowed me to address
more complex breastfeeding situations, be more hands-on in assessing
and assisting dyads and offer comprehensive support. 

2. How are your services different than a hospital-based IBCLC? 

First of all, I want to clarify that I am extremely grateful for hospital-
based IBCLCs, they are often the first line of support in getting babies to
breastfeed successfully at the start. They work to improve hospital
protocols that impact feeding at their facilities. However, it can be
difficult for them to offer services that extend beyond the newborn
period. Because I have the ability to come to families where they are and where they breastfeed most often, I am able to create a truly
individualized plan of care utilizing the support network they have in
place. I try to look at all pieces of the puzzle when there are breastfeeding difficulties and because I set my own schedule, I can spend as much time as needed to help families work through the often multi-layered issues
that lead to problems with feeding. 

3. Are your services covered by insurance? 

I currently do not accept any insurance. I can provide a superbill for visits which families may utilize to seek reimbursement from their insurance
companies. I cannot guarantee reimbursement. 

4. What is your favorite part about being an independent IBCLC?

Working with families in their own home environment allows me to form a solid professional relationship that accounts for all the variables that
impact the breastfeeding relationship. I create plans based on these
variables and have more flexibility because I get to craft my own protocols for addressing concerns using evidence-based information. 
I get to know families on a more personal level, and there is frequent
follow up so that continuity of care is maintained. 

5. What is the biggest misconception about IBCLCs? 

I think the biggest misconception about IBCLCs is that we do not support mothers who bottlefeed or use formula to supplement babies. While my
goal is to help families provide breastmilk to their babies, I value any
amount of breastmilk babies receive and often work with families on
introducing a bottle safely. Every family deserves respect and compassion around their feeding goals. 

Holly is magnificent, and I sincerely hope that she is a HUGE success, as I know that more support for breastfeeding is a GREAT thing! You can find Holly at:

Little Ants & a Giveaway!!

As a doula, I get asked all the time about places to shop while preparing for the arrival of a new baby, and the first place I always like to send clients is Little Ants! Not only is the owner Katie Field an amazingly knowledgeable person about breastfeeding and baby wearing, but she also has some really awesome products that you can’t find anywhere else in the tri-state. I love to support local businesses whenever possible, and Katie makes it easy with all kinds of great products and excellent customer service professionals who know what they are talking about because they have actually used the products.

Are you thinking about baby wearing but worried about which carrier might work best for you?

Go to Little Ants and they will help you try on different carrier to find which one works for you, your baby, and your budget. You can even rent them for a trip, and if you decide to purchase it later, they will apply your rental payment toward your purchase. How cool is that??

Curious about cloth diapering, but don’t know where to start?

Little Ants has you and your baby’s butt covered! Can we mention that Katie also owns and operates the Happy Heiny cloth diaper company?? She might be magic you guys!

From the Owner:

I was born and raised in Chicago and moved to Evansville via Urbana, IL in 2008.  I began Little Ants in 2000 six months after my oldest was born.  As I began raising my first child, I gained a deeper appreciation for the importance of mother baby togetherness.  The store grew out of that love.  I longed to create a work environment that allowed moms to work alongside their children all while emphasizing items that were made with just wages and dignity of the worker in mind.

Katie & 2 of her adorable kids!
  • What is your favorite thing about your job? 

I really love being able to help families in their journey through parenthood.  From the early days of helping finding the perfect baby carrier to later days of finding the perfect toy that inspires the child to learn and grow while preserving their creativity and maintaining interest through the childs growth.  I also love seeing how much my children have learned by being a part of this business from day 1. 

  • What do you wish people knew about your business? 

The importance of play in childhood is a major emphasis of our store.  I wish more people appreciated how developmentally important play is, how important open ended toys are to creativity, and how much further money stretches when you buy quality toys made to be played with for years.  That being a small local boutique doesn’t mean you pay premium prices, it means you get premium service at the same price as elsewhere.  We are here to serve our customers.

  • What is the most stressful thing about your job? 

The struggle to stay afloat.  In the day and age of tablets for two year olds and internet purchases for moms, it can be tough to keep paying the bills. 

  • What is your favorite thing about living in the tri-state area?

I love how welcome children are in Evansville.  It was the first thing that struck me when I moved here and I still appreciate it today.  This is becoming less true throughout many areas of country.  I love how many places my kids are treated with respect.

  • Where can people find you if they want to learn more about Little Ants?

Our address is 2820 Lincoln Ave Evansville, IN 47714 or online at www.littleants.com

Check out: #antfamilybusiness

I don’t do twitter but have both instagram (@LittleAntsInc) and facebook (https://www.facebook.com/LittleAntsInc/)

GIVEAWAY TIME!!!!!

Want to win a super cool basket of stuff from Little Ants??

Here’s what you could win:

Sweet Baby Callum (only 7 days old) & his boppy are not included in the giveaway, but everything else in this picture is!!!

Here’s what you can win: S’well bottle, the cuddliest pig ever from The Manhattan Toy Company, a hand-dyed swaddling blanket made from bamboo by the Austin tie-dye company, Earth Mama Angel Baby Pregnancy Pampering Kit, Sweet tooth baby teether shaped like an ice cream cone, and a beautiful chewable necklace…

And the BIG thing that will probably get most of you excited is a:

TULA FREE TO GROW!!!!

Thank you so much Ellen for allowing me to come take pictures of you only 1 week postpartum!!! You are so beautiful & such a wonderful advocate for birth, babywearing, and breastfeeding in our community!
You can read more about the TULA Free to Grow here at this link.

The Tula Free to Grow is an amazing carrier that is fully adjustable, ergonomic, and  has variable width and height settings to customize its fit to your growing baby. This innovative, no fuss design does not require an infant insert and can be used beginning at 7lbs, and it is soo very cool that I almost wish I was going to have another baby!!

This carrier is so versatile that she could have used it for her newborn OR her 2 year old OR her 4 year old!! The 6 year old might be a little big for it though.
(BTW: Ellen IS actually magical in case you were wondering!)

3 Steps to enter to win:


1. Like Doula Group of Evansville and Little Ants, Inc on Facebook
2. Like Little Ants, Inc and Doula Group of Evansville on Instagram. 3. Comment on this post with which item in the basket you are most excited to win!

I’ll put all the names in a bowl and have a live drawing on Sunday March 3rd on the Doula Group of Evansville Instagram page, so be on the lookout for the announcement. Don’t worry though, I will contact you via messenger if you win too. I promise I don’t need this stuff and am really excited to give it away!!

Rules:

-Basket full of stuff must be picked up in person by the winner, so you should probably be fairly local to the Evansville area or at least willing to drive here to Little Ants to pick it up from me. If you aren’t local, you can still shop at their online store!

-Must be 18 to enter & a Facebook user, as winner will be notified via Facebook.

-This giveaway is in no way sponsored by, associated with, or run by Facebook or Instagram or any other entity other than Little Ants & Doula Group of Evansville

-DEADLINE to enter is Saturday March 2nd by noon!

Can we also mention that starting tomorrow there is a SALE at Little Ants????

Seriously, go check out these deals!!

I am SOOO excited to give away this basket of hand-picked stuff! Special thanks also goes out to Chrystal Mehringer who helped me pick out all these lovely things that we both agreed we would want if we were expecting. She’s just one of the super knowledgeable staff members are Little Ants, and a friend of mine too.