Last night, it froze for the first time this year. It was that magical first frost that happens every year which releases the colorful leaves from the branches and brings them cascading down to the ground.  My husband and I woke early, bundled up, grabbed the camera and headed outside for a Sunday morning walk. We’re lucky to live in the country, and to have great natural beauty right in our own back yard. It was one of those days that felt like, a wonderful dance and our timing was perfect.  I was able to photograph herbs covered in frost, some warmed by the sun, and to witness the glorious beauty of the fall.

The cold nights turned the branches of wild rose hips a brilliant red…

…and melted away the few remaining rose and calendula blossoms.

The season has turned, and despite what the calendar says, today felt like the beginning of winter.

The fuzzy Lady’s Mantle (above) and Mullein (below) leaves have an extra coating of frost.

And the hawthorn berries have all turned a crimson red, just in time to keep the wild birds fed throughout winter.

The Oregon Grape is frosty.

The pond is flowing enough that it doesn’t freeze in the winter, so the ducks and wild birds have access to the water all winter long.

We found ourselves mesmerized by the almost loudness of the quiet – the rush of the river, the honking of the geese and the ka-thunk of the big maple leaves as they landed on the ground. For this and so many other blessings, I’m thankful.

When it’s July in Oregon it’s time to harvest the lavender. Lavender is best harvested just as the blossoms are beginning to open, so they don’t fall and scatter every time a basket of dried loveliness is bumped or moved. But again this year, I found myself stalling, avoiding and dragging my feet about harvesting it. Because when the new harvest is in, the old harvest is finished.

My house is filled with lavender. There are bunches in baskets and buckets, vases and jars. There are bundles bent and tied into a wreath, hanging on the wall and perched on shelves. There are armfuls in antique buckets, and a few little sprigs in a little vase on the windowsill.

It doesn’t just sit and look pretty, though. All that lavender lends a calming, cleansing air to the house, especially when it’s closed up against winter storms. I recently read a paper that documents lavender’s calming efficacy in reducing both pain and anxiety, even during dental procedures. Lavender reduces agitation, and helps babies sleep. The fresh oil helps repel bugs in the summer, and I find myself pinching off a few blossoms and inhaling the calm as I walk by, especially after a long day at work. Plus, it makes me happy just to look at it.

Which is why it’s hard to throw all those hard working lavender stems on the compost pile to make way for the new harvest. Granted, by year’s end, the various bundles are not as fresh as they were last July, and yes, they are a little dusty. But when I walk by and pinch a few blossoms between my fingers, they still emit a quietly lucid, pleasingly sharp aroma that makes me inhale a little deeper and smile.

So this year when my lavender blues took hold and I couldn’t bear to part with my old bunches, I got creative. Instead of gritting my teeth and throwing out all of last year’s harvest, I repurposed all those stately sprigs. I stripped each stalk of the blossoms and collected them in a jar, dispersing a few cobwebs in the process. There were enough to fill a gallon jar, which sits on top of the dryer. I’ve never been a big fan of dryer sheets – I’m always a little suspect about exactly what chemicals are in them. And now the spent blossoms have greater longevity as dryer balls! I wrap up a healthy handful of blossoms in a piece of cheesecloth and secure it, ever so elegantly, with a simple piece of twine. They tumble amongst my dainties, infusing them with the last remaining wafts of aromatherapy and making me happy all over again.

Your sweet baby is here! Welcome your wonderful bundle with Mama’s gentle ritual, or use this as a starting point to create your own special ceremony.

Invite all those who love and will help look after your new angel baby to share in your blessing ceremony. Ask each person to bring a small symbolic gift to share, such as a song, poem or family memento or perhaps a blessing of their own.

Daub your baby’s head with a drop or two of anointing oil. A safe, organic oil can be infused with a drop of rose and lavender oil for inspiration and protection.

Bathe your baby in a small tub of warm water for a ritual cleansing, while speaking this blessing:

Bless your mind, that you may be filled with wisdom and dreams.
Bless your eyes, that you may have clarity of vision and see goodness.
Bless your mouth, that you may speak the truth.
Bless your ears, that you may hear the wisdom that is spoken to you.
Bless your hands, that you may create beauty in the world.
Bless your belly, that you may follow your instincts and intuition.
Bless your knees, that you may kneel and experience humility.
Bless your back, that you may have the strength to carry your burdens.
Bless your heart, that you may give and receive love.
Bless your feet, that you may find and walk your own true path.

Now kiss your baby with gratitude for the blessing that she or he came here to share with us all!

Before there was a neighborhood pharmacy with the Rx sign outside, there was nature. For eons women have relied on traditional knowledge of herbal remedies and plant medicine. This knowledge has been passed down from great-grandmother to grandmother to mother to daughter, as women have used herbs to comfort and support the common discomforts of pregnancy and childbirth. When combined with the safety and assurances of contemporary evidence-based research, traditional herbal medicine is a natural way to ease everything from morning sickness to swollen feet.

Here are some safe herbal ways to nurture, comfort and soothe yourself, whether you’re expecting a baby or not! Be sure to choose organic herbs whenever possible, both externally and internally, to help reduce exposure to potentially harmful pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers.

Ginger

Feeling queasy? Ginger root is a time-tested comfort for nausea of any kind, and research supports its safe use during pregnancy. Fresh ginger can be used as a tea, and even candied ginger can help. Ginger essential oil is wonderful in an aromatherapy spray for a quick spritz of relief. It’s even safe to use for queasy, carsick kids and for anyone during flu season.

Swollen balloon-art feet and alarmingly expanding ankles are common in pregnancy, but that doesn’t mean you should ignore them. Those hard working feet are carrying an extra load, so they deserve a warm footbath, with plenty of salt and soothing, aromatic and antifungal herbs like lavender and yarrow. Salt used externally soothes, refreshes, and can help ease swelling. But extra salt in a pregnant mama’s diet is a no-no!

Bottoms are a sore subject with lots of mamas-to-be and brand new moms as well. Witch hazel leaves and bark are naturally astringent and help shrink hemorrhoids both before and after the baby arrives. For episiotomy or perineal bruising and tears, look for wound healing, antibacterial and antifungal wonders like calendula, plantain, or yarrow in external balms and sprays.

Stretching, itchy skin expanding to accommodate the brand new occupant is another pregnancy reality. One of the best ways to prevent stretching or scarring is to keep yourself well hydrated, inside and out. Massage on a light, organic oil or lotion with herbs like anti-inflammatory chamomile and wound-healing calendula to help ease the itching that stretching skin causes, and make you less prone to stretch marks.

So little room, so little digestion! Pregnant or not, heartburn is a very familiar problem. Gooey, coating marshmallow root and soothing digestive herbs like chamomile and lemon balm are well loved for their ability to turn down the heat. An herbal tea made from these herbs and a sprig of spearmint makes a deliciously soothing cup of tea.

Oatstraw

It’s the third trimester and time to tone the uterus! Red Raspberry leaf is a time honored third trimester herb to help prepare the uterus to show up for the big day and perform like a champ. Stinging Nettle is high in iron, which is essential since a pregnant woman’s blood volume is increasing daily. Her body also needs an extra dose of calcium since it is building a little someone’s teeth and bones. Calcium is naturally calming. Since oats are high in calcium, help yourself to a nutritious bowl of oatmeal or enjoy a calming cup of Oatstraw tea.

A wee bit nervous? Chamomile, lemon balm and of course oatstraw are reliable soothers, and can be steeped into a calming tea that settles busy minds any time, not just during pregnancy. (Note: People with allergies to plants in the asteraceae (daisy) family should not use chamomile.)

The way an herb is used — its concentration and whether or not it’s used topically or internally — can be as important as which herbs are used. (See 20 Herbs To Avoid During Pregnancy) A little sprinkle of herbs in small culinary amount can be just fine, while too much of a good thing can be problematic. For example, an herb like oregano is perfectly safe when eaten in small culinary amounts in your spaghetti sauce. But highly concentrated oregano essential oil should not be ingested during pregnancy. In other words, don’t ignore your innate mama-wisdom. But when in doubt about, consult a healthcare provider who is knowledgeable about the use of herbs in pregnancy.

It’s a lot of work growing a miracle! Pregnancy is pretty impressive work and deserves a round of applause. It’s key to remember that the discomforts of pregnancy are temporary, and common. And best of all, they can be safely soothed using nature’s herbal gifts.

20 Herbs to Avoid During Pregnancy

• Aloe
• Blessed Thistle
• Comfrey
• Ephedra
• Fennel
• Fenugreek
• Feverfew
• Goldenseal
• Horsetail
• Juniper
• Lady’s Mantle
• Licorice
• Nutmeg
• Oregano Oil
• Oregon Grape
• Pennyroyal
• Rue
• Sage
• Senna
• Thyme Oil

Oh Internet, how we love you, but you do tend to confuse, especially with information about herbs for pregnant women and babies. Over the years, we’ve talked to more than a few anxious and bewildered ladies, all responsibly looking for guidance about what’s safe and what’s not safe for their growing bellies and the baby within.

Its no wonder there’s uncertainty – there’s so much information! An herb’s safety during pregnancy sometimes depends on so many variables. For instance, a dried herb that is infused in an oil and applied to the skin introduces a lesser ratio of the plant’s essences than if that same herb is highly concentrated into an essential oil and ingested. These very different processes lead to very different levels of safety.

Borage (Borago officinalis) is one of the herbs that we frequently receive questions about, specifically the organic Borage seed oil in Natural Stretch Oil. Women have read that the raw borage plant contains Pyrrolizidine alkaloids, which in high doses are a potential liver toxin.  It’s true, and that is surely good sleuthing, mamas! But the organic borage seed oil we use is lab tested to ensure that the Pyrrolizidine alkaloids have been removed.  We like to be able to put that concern to rest since the benefits of organic Borage seed oil are numerous and wonderful!

Besides being a charming little blue-starred flower, the oil from Borage’s seed is packed with nutrients like vitamins A, D, E and is exceptionally high in gamma-linolenic acid. Those properties make Borage seed oil a lovely organic addition to skin care products because it helps the skin retain moisture and elasticity and reduce scarring. And we hope this helps diligent mamas who are looking for Borage information put their minds to rest!

Last week I took a much needed working vacation and it was perfect. The very first day, during a break in the rain storms, I was greeted by a hungry baby bird in the vegetable garden who hopped around at my feet asking for breakfast. Thank goodness for my compost pile and ready access to a handful of worm for the fluttery, open-mouthed baby.

He was an demanding little thing and his mama was nowhere in sight. After a good meal, he continued to flutter and beg, insisting on being served seconds. Hoping he’d fend for himself, I picked him up and put him in the bird feeder, but he wasn’t having any of it.

Day #2: The chives are just starting to open up along with the azaleas, rhododendrons and dogwoods.

I took advantage of the time to make myself a salad of freshly picked baby greens, chickweed, spring peas, lemon thyme and chive blossoms, and it was delicious.

Day #3 I made organic apple cider vinegar infused with pregnancy herbs for salad dressings. Even though it only had a day or so to extract flavors, it is already tasty! I used dandelion roots and leaves, iron-rich nettles leaves from the plants that haven’t already flowered, uterine tonic red raspberry leaves and oniony chive blossoms.

I had such a good time, going from one project to the next. When it was raining I made veggie chili and cornbread and a big batch of granola (my husband’s favorites), and I  finished the last two chapters of the book I was reading. And when the sun came out, I went back outside and shoveled gravel for the walkway.

I planted wildflower seeds along the drive. And when it poured down rain, I had to abandon my sad little garden cart and wait under the cedars for another sun break.

I straightened the tilting birdhouses…

…and weeded the front herb garden where the lady’s mantle, meadowsweet, echinacea, St. John’s wort and motherwort grow. Then I weeded, weeded and weeded some more.

Oh sure, I checked in at work a time or two,

but I got to play in the rain, make tinctures and vinegars, feed a baby bird, and be in my garden. It was glorious.

Earth Mama Angel Baby is no longer in Facebook Time Out! So help us out. We want to post a breastfeeding photo, but we don’t want to jeopardize our Facebook page. Which photo (below) would pass Facebook’s unclear rules? Which photo do YOU think we should post?

If you’ve just tuned in, here’s a brief history of Earth Mama Angel Baby’s battle with Facebook.

First, on April 20 Facebook deleted one of Earth Mama Angel Baby’s breastfeeding photos and left the other one. We were trying to figure out why.
Mama sent a message to Facebook and got an autobot response. Then she wrote a personal missive about all the hubbub over a baby’s lunch!

Then, on April 21 Facebook took down the other breastfeeding photo, and gave us a seven-day restriction on posting photos.

Mama sent a message to Facebook and got an autobot response.

Many mama-centric companies rallied around, many people have had this problem with Facebook. No one has had a satisfactory response. Apparently anyone can flag a photo as “obscene” and then Facebook makes a ruling to let it stay or take it down. Many people think breastfeeding photos are obscene. Maybe people think photos of strippers, sexting teens or the Victoria’s Secret page are obscene. We think the issue is simply that the rules need to be clear.

We don’t believe breastfeeding is obscene. We believe breastfeeding photos help to normalize and demystify a baby getting nourished in the most natural, healthful way possible, But we follow the rules, and it’s Facebook’s game. If we know what the rules are, and it’s clear that everyone must follow them, we will follow them. But if someone if making a judgment call about latched babies, and not taking down photos of equally exposed breasts on other sites, something is wrong.

In any case, we’re now out of Facebook Time Out and now we’re wondering what to do. We’d like to post some photos of women breastfeeding (since it’s ¼ of our business), but we don’t want to jeopardize our Facebook page. So, which photo do YOU think we should post?

ONE

TWO

THREE

This weekend I saw a Facebook post about a woman who was banned from a public place in Washington for breastfeeding her baby. And then today, Facebook decided to delete one of the two breastfeeding pictures on Earth Mama’s Facebook page.

I don’t consider myself a militant. Or a lactavist. I’ve always tried very hard to make a place for everyone to make their own well informed decisions. My decision has unwaveringly been that breastfeeding was the best for my babies. But now I’m mad. And I feel like it was the last straw before I donned my militancy hat. Brace yourself.

This picture is me nursing my firstborn in 1974. I breastfed my two babies for a combined total of 5 ½ years. And I can honestly say never once in that time did it ever even enter my mind that it was somehow inappropriate. When I went out of the house and my son was hungry, I fed him. If my daughter was tired and hungry, she ate and then napped. Simple.

My husband never once faltered in his support. He unfailingly helped me find a place to sit, someplace quiet if the nursling needed to sleep. There wasn’t a lot of thought or planning or even, thank goodness, fear of public rejection. I never even considered an alternative. Nor did I stay sequestered because I might have to deal with a hungry baby while in the middle of the grocery store. I believe I thought that was one of the benefits of taking “lunch” along with me.

This issue has obviously been discussed time and again. People line up on one side or the other, ready to vehemently state their opinion about whether women are endowed with breasts as physical attributes that engender sexual pleasure, or as functional glands to feed their young. Aren’t they both? I have to confess that this argument confounds me, even to this day.

What are breastfeeding women supposed to do? Do they sequester themselves at home to avoid having to feed their baby in public? Do they think ahead and plan the day? Do you not leave the house until your baby is weaned? What happens if you have to run to the store for toilet paper? Hire a babysitter to give your baby a bottle in your absence?

Some people can’t handle it nursing in public, but should that be a the mother’s problem? If your husband’s squeamish friends are over, or if you’re in the Stop-n-Shop and your baby is hungry, cover yourself.  But feed your baby. I suspect Mrs. Neanderthal never considered options.

Breastfeeding Photo A

One of these things is not like the other.

Last night, Facebook sent Earth Mama’s Facebook page a WARNING that a picture in our photo strip had been removed because it apparently “violated the Terms of Use (see above). Facebook does not allow photos that “attack an individual or group, or that contain nudity, drug use, violence, or other violations of the Terms of Use. These policies are designed to ensure Facebook remains a safe, secure and trusted environment for all users, including the many children who use the site.”

In order to access the Earth Mama Facebook page, we had to acknowledge that we read and understood the warning.

And here’s what we found when we got there. One, but not both, of the breastfeeding pictures on the photo strip had been deleted. Gone. Kaput. Huh? Why that one? This can’t be right, right? There were two breastfeeding photos in the photo strip, so that can’t be the reason it was removed. And Facebook has publicly stated it is not “cracking down” on breastfeeding photos.

Breastfeeding Photo B

Still, they deleted Photo A and left Photo B. We tried to figure out the difference between the two. Here’s what we came up with.

• Both women are clearly breastfeeding their babies.
• One shows cleavage, the other does not.
• One woman’s baby is latched, the other is not.
• The tiniest bit of nipple is visible on one photo, in the other photo the nipple is covered by the baby’s hand.
• Oh wait! Could it be? One woman is black, one woman is white.

Earth Mama always has supported women breastfeeding their babies. Babies get hungry. And breasts feed babies. We don’t consider either photo obscene. Each shows a human baby having lunch. We intend to repost the picture on Facebook once we get an explanation from them. We support ALL mamas as they breastfeed their babies, and we support breastfeeding photos depicting mamas and babies of all races, sizes, shapes and ages.

Why do you think this happened?

UPDATE: With all the ridiculousness about deleting breastfeeding photos from Facebook, I personally contacted Facebook [twice] to find out why they took down Earth Mama’s photos. I received one automated response. We are still working on getting them to clarify their policy and to make a distinction between breastfeeding and obscenity. Thank you for your amazing support! XO, Mama

>> Please help us tell Facebook that breastfeeding is not obscene!  Submit a suggestion directly to Facebook HERE.

P.S. Mama’s NOT happy. She doesn’t consider herself a militant. Or a lactavist.  But now she’s mad. Brace yourself.  >> Read more.

It’s that time of the year again. Oh sure, you’re probably thinking I reference cheerful, festive preparations with tinsels and bows, lights and carols. But no, it’s time for Earth Mama’s annual organic inspection, and believe me, the process is no holiday. With so many companies blithely tossing around the “O” word, we think it’s important to show what being a certified organic manufacturing company really entails. Welcome to the Annual Organic Inspection!

The purpose of an organic inspection is to have an objective third party examine a manufacturer’s facility. An independent inspector is hired by Quality Assurance International, Earth Mama’s certifier. Together they tell you if your processes are compliant with the USDA NOP and NSF organic standards. But not to tell you HOW to comply with them. Translation – while our inspector, John was fantastic, he can’t “consult” with you. That means he is happy to tell you if you’re doing something wrong, but he can’t tell you exactly how to do it right. You’re on your own for that.

A random box of tea is plucked merrily from the shelf and processing from raw material to production to shipping is documented every step of the way. And to assure that customers know exactly what they are buying, all product labels are inspected for language of organic claims.

And as the dusk settles over the land, and people leave the building for home, Mr. Inspector is juuuuust wrapping things up.  The piles of papers have been refiled, the notebooks back on the shelves. After weeks of rescheduling, hours of scrutiny, and another year of making sure everything is right with our organic world, Earth Mama is once again awarded the grand prize: the coveted Organic Certificate of Compliance.