BellyWise 2013

My son will officially be 5 1/2 next week. It is hard to believe that 5 1/2 years have passed since my introduction to the beauty of birth and to the inevitable role I would come to play in the professional world of birth.I am not much of a resolution-maker, but I do like to evaluate my life and set realistic goals at the start of every year. (I have come to realize that I won’t keep my room clean or quit any of my bad habits no matter how many times I make the resolution to do so. But I will eagerly work towards a reasonable, well-planned goal any time of the year!) This year I plan on breathing more…and breathing deeper. I plan on scheduling in my “chores” so instead of feeling overwhelmed by my home, I will consistently keep my hands working at the appropriate times, leaving me ample time to spend with my family without the tickling distraction of laundry or dishes, etc. I plan on growing BellyWise – continuing with my work as a doula and with my healthy childbirth classes while also adding infant care classes and becoming a lactation counselor. (More on this as it develops!) I also plan on introducing BellyWise to the public health world, offering classes to various venues in the city in order to provide services to the vast and varied populations that live and breathe in my Philadelphia.

I love the start of a new year! I always feel refreshed, renewed. A dear friend of mine told me recently that he doesn’t celebrate on New Year’s Eve because he finds the New Year more enticing and prefers to celebrate on New Year’s Day. I appreciate such forward thinking, but I like to celebrate both – looking back on all that happened and then looking forward to all that is to come. Every day bears significance, and when better to remind ourselves of this truth than the beginning of the year. This year I was lucky enough to wake up on the first of the year in Costa Rica. My ten-month-old daughter and I had coffee with my dad first thing in the morning, and slowly, as the sun rose higher in the sky, the rest of my family began to wake. I have much to be thankful for, and I am absolutely thankful for those first early hours of my year, filled with nothing but love, beauty, and family. What a great memory for me to focus on during any uncomfortable moments I may encounter throughout the year. Here’s to 2013! May it be a calm, productive, and fun-filled year.