CleanBirth - Saving Mothers and Babies in Laos

CleanBirth.org - Donate $5 Saves 2 Lives

New Haven Photographer Supports CleanBirth.org

mothersday2015-1

Hey New Haven peeps! Karissa Van Tassel Photography is offering Mother’s Day gift certificates that benefit moms and babies in Laos.

The A $150 gift certificate include a photo session and one complimentary 8×10″ print. FIFTY dollars of Karissa’s fee goes directly to CleanBirth.org!!

This a gift EVERY mom wants: the gift of memories captured forever.  It’s what I gave my mom last year:)

Here’s more from Karissa about the package:

“Through our partnership, $50 of the session fee goes directly to CleanBirth, so your Mother’s Day gift certificate not only gives the mom in your life memories she will hold hold onto forever, but saves the lives of ten moms and ten newborn babies at the same time. What could be better?”

Click here for more details.

Etsy Store is Working!

IMG_7331We had $100 in sales yesterday, two weeks shy of Mother’s Day.  I asked one of the donors how they found us and she said:

I was just searching for “mothers day cards” on the main Etsy page and came across it!

This is music to my ears and inspires me that we can really use Etsy to reach new donors who are already shopping for a gift and make sure that their gift makes a difference!  It is a fundraising and awareness raising strategy that feels great to me!

Last Minute Mom’s Day Gifts

If you are like me, Mother’s Day is a last minute stop to get a card or maybe flowers for mom.  Despite being a mom myself, I often forget about the day until the last minute.

With this in mind we developed 2 great last minute gifts that you can buy ON Mother’s Day and they’ll be there on time.  The first are Mother’s Day E-cards:  choose the picture you like best, donate and mom will get it immediately (or on the day you choose.)  The second are Mother’s Day Printable Cards which you can print and give at your convenience.

When you donate $20 8 lives are protected and your mom gets a meaningful gift!  Give the best Mother’s Day gift this year: the gift of live.
1 cardSaves 8Lives-2

Best Possible Care for Mothers & Babies

I so admire Ina May Gaskin.  In my view, her’s is a life dedicated to empowering women.  I hope that mine is too.  I believe that how babies come into the world matters.  My own births were far from perfect.  Things happen.  But the thing that I took away is that every woman should feel as empowered as possible.  Mothers should have as much information as possible.

In Laos where we work, women have very little information.  If their birth is normal, they are certainly allowed to birth alone because birthing alone (or with the help of family) is the norm.  But when warning signs turn up in pregnancy or the birth shows signs of complications, the women we work with have few resources to identify and act on these problems.  And so, many women wait to long to seek help or help is too far away regardless. So women die and babies die.

It is our hope that by making a start: training nurses, giving birth kits, we are beginning the process of giving all women in the area of Laos where we work a chance at a safe, empowered birth.  There is a long way to go until every mother has a trained nurse or midwife by her side.  But I hope that I will see the day when that is possible.
comforting

My #1 Tip for Moms this Mother’s Day

IMG_1185This post is the brain child of Giselle Shardlow, founder of Kid Yoga Stories.  She asked fellow members of our blog group MulticulturalKidBlogs to write about their number one tip for moms.  All of the blogs will link together in support of CleanBirth.org and our efforts to raise awareness and donations this Mother’s Day.  For those interested in buying Mother’s Cards that honor mom or grandma and make birth safer for moms in Laos click here to see the beautiful card choices: https://www.etsy.com/shop/CleanBirthGifts.

And now for my tip:  Be Kind to Yourself!  As a mom you are going to hear about all the ways to be the BEST mom.  You will hear that you should stay home or work, give them organic jarred food or home-made,  let them watch TV or no TV etc… There are so many rules and so many ways to fail.  And that’s how you end up feeling at the end of many days: like a failure.  Exhausted, defeated, and the breaker of many “Mom Rules”.

I’m here to tell you that the rules don’t matter.  You matter.  You are doing your best.  You are loving your kids just fine.  You have got to be kind to yourself.

If you work and you love your kids, your kids will be just fine.

If you stay home and you love your kids, your kids will be just fine.

If you buy jarred food and you love your kids, your kids will be just fine.

If you make your own food and you love your kids, your kids will be just fine.

If you you let them watch TV and you love your kids, your kids will be just fine.

If you don’t let them watch TV and you love your kids, your kids will be just fine.

So go easy on yourself and forgive yourself.  Love yourself, love the kids (even if you don’t always like them).  Everyone will be just fine.

 

 

 

 

 

Pin It on Pinterest