May Meeting Announcement: Attachment Parenting

Please join the DC Chapter of the Holistic Moms Network on Tuesday, May 3 from 6:30-8:30 pm for an evening on attachment parenting with Heather Phipps and Allison Hughes. Heather is a homeschooling parent to an almost six-year-old daughter, and served on the Takoma Attachment Parenting Board for two years in 2009 and 2010, where she is still a volunteer and member. Heather and her husband have been practicing attachment parenting since their daughter was born. Heather views attachment parenting as a way to respect as well as connect all members of a family, and to provide a path to finding strategies that meet the family’s needs. Rather than seeing attachment parenting as some type of perfect formula, she looks to it as a support structure to achieve family harmony and balance. Allison has two children and has practiced many tenets of attachment parenting over the years. Her overarching philosophy is to listen to what her children say, take it seriously, and give them the same respect she would give any other person. Heather and Allison will together discuss the philosophy behind attachment parenting, and the spectrum of ways in which families can practice AP. There will be ample time for questions!

Our "Attachment Parenting" meeting will take place on Tuesday, May 3, from 6:30-8:30 pm at the Cleveland Park Public Library, 3310 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008. There is street parking in Cleveland Park, and the library is also metro-accessible from the Cleveland Park/Red Line stop.

April Meeting Announcement: Medicinal and Recreational Raw Food!

Please join the DC Chapter of the Holistic Moms Network on Tuesday, April 5 from 6:30-8:30 pm for an evening with Lisa Wilson, Certified Health, Nutrition and Wellness Counselor and Founder of The Raw Food Institute. Lisa will discuss the medicinal and recreational use of raw foods in our diets to keep us healthy and treat a variety of common ailments. She will also show us how to make crazy healthy snacks for our kids!

Our "Medicinal and Recreational Raw Food" meeting will take place on Tuesday, April 5, from 6:30-8:30 pm at the Cleveland Park Public Library, 3310 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008. There is street parking in Cleveland Park, and the library is also metro-accessible from the Cleveland Park/Red Line stop.

Osteopathy for Children Meeting Recap!

Thank you to Dr. Christina Steele for a very informative evening of osteopathy for the family! Dr. Steele led us through the basics of osteopathic medicine, including the differences in how osteopaths treat patients as compared to M.D.s. She also discussed how there are large differences in how osteopaths themselves treat patients. Dr. Steele then discussed a variety of common childhood ailments (such as earaches and asthma) and how osteopathy can be used to treat them. Finally, she broke out her treatment table and showed us how to perform some simple treatments on each other. She also gave a few lucky members treatments for headaches! Thank you Dr. Steele!

March Meeting Announcement: Osteopathy for Children and Families

On Tuesday, March 1, Dr. Christina Steele, DO, will present an introduction to Osteopathic medicine, and will discuss its benefits for a variety of childhood and maternal conditions. Osteopathy recognizes the healing power of the body, and attempts to facilitate that process. The Osteopathic physician’s goal is to reduce pain and restore motion, as well as help the body heal itself. Osteopathic manipulation is a non-invasive hands-on technique used for diagnosis and prevention, as well as treatment. OMT can contribute to the healing of trauma from both physical and emotional causes. Many old injuries lead either to chronic spasms or contracture of tissues, all of which can cause compensatory problems, leading to chronic pain. An osteopath’s goal is to first of all, restore normal motion and function to these damaged areas, and to improve the vascular flow that is frequently injured by trauma. In addition, Osteopathic treatments often have an additional benefit of alleviating the energy the body has to use to repair and compensate these injuries. Patients often find their treatments lead to an unexpected relief of old long forgotten trauma.

Dr. Christina Steele completed medical school in Los Angeles, California, where she also completed a Masters degree in International Health and Health Education, summa cum laude. After completing a residency in family practice, Dr. Steele completed a second fellowship in Neuromuskuloskelatal Medicine with the American Academy of Osteopathy. She is certified by the American Osteopathic Board of Family Practitioners, and holds an associate professorship in Anatomy at Husson College in Maine; where she previously maintained an independent practice for women and children. She has been a recurring guest lecturer at the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine, Western University of Health Sciences, Eastern Maine Medical Center, and Mercy Hospital in Portland, Maine. Prior to her medical training, Dr. Steele worked in the international relief field, primarily in the field of refugee health. Dr. Steele currently practices at Crossings, A Center for the Healing Traditions, in Silver Spring, MD.

Our "Osteopathy for Children and Families" meeting will take place on Tuesday, March 1, from 6:30-8:30 pm at the Cleveland Park Public Library, 3310 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008. There is street parking in Cleveland Park, and the library is also metro-accessible from the Cleveland Park/Red Line stop.

Extended Breastfeeding Meeting Recap!

On Tuesday, February 1, Mairi Breen Rothman, CNM, spoke to us about extended breastfeeding, which is typically defined as nursing past your child's first birthday. Mairi is a Certified Nurse-Midwife who has breastfed all four of her children into the toddler years. Mairi has also been very active in the breastfeeding policy arena, most notably helping to create a law in Maryland making it legal for women to nurse wherever they want and need to.

Mairi presented a number of studies demonstrating the benefits to mother and baby of breastfeeding, and the ongoing benefits as babies grow into toddlers. We had a terrific group of families present, and there were many questions asked and answered. We also had a great group of toddlers (all of whom were still being breastfed) running together during the meeting. Thank you Mairi for all of the great information you provided! We hope to see you next month for our Introduction to Osteopathy for the Family meeting!

February Meeting Announcement: Extended Breastfeeding

On Tuesday, February 1, Mairi Breen Rothman will discuss extended breastfeeding with the DC Chapter of the Holistic Moms Network. Extended breastfeeding is typically understood as breastfeeding beyond your child’s first birthday. Many people are familiar with the recommendation that, to achieve optimal growth, infants should be exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life. But there are benefits to nursing a child beyond six months. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund recommend nursing for a minimum of two years, and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends breastfeeding for at least a year. Mairi will discuss the benefits of extended breastfeeding, and some of the challenges mothers might face who choose to nurse their children into their toddler years. There will be ample time for questions.

Mairi Breen Rothman has been a midwife since 1996. She and another midwife started M.A.M.A.S. Midwifery, a full-scope midwifery practice in the Washington, DC metro area, in 2008, and since that time have helped many women in DC give birth in their own homes.

Our “Extended Breastfeeding” meeting will take place on Tuesday, February 1 from 6:30-8:30 pm in the Community Room of the Cleveland Park Public Library, 3310 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008. There is street parking in Cleveland Park, and the library is also metro-accessible through the Cleveland Park/Red Line stop.

January Meeting Announcement: Recipe Exchange & Family Traditions

On Tuesday, January 18, please join the DC Chapter of the Holistic Moms Network for an evening of sharing recipe ideas and family traditions. Do you have a recipe for a meal you use to bring your family together? Or a recipe that is super healthy and loved by your children? Do you have a favorite dish that is vegetarian, vegan, raw, or tailored to a gluten-free, dairy-free, or other special diet? Please bring one or more of your favorite recipes to share. While we exchange recipes, we will share family traditions by discussing the ways in which we celebrate holidays, seasons, birthdays, and other celebrations with our families. Recipes and ideas for family traditions will be compiled and available to our members after the meeting. Please join us!

Our “Recipe Exchange & Family Traditions” meeting will take place on Tuesday, January 18 from 6:30-8:30 pm in the Community Room of the Cleveland Park Public Library, 3310 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008. There is street parking in Cleveland Park, and the library is also metro-accessible through the Cleveland Park/Red Line stop.

Please note that the DC Chapter of the Holistic Moms Network usually meets on the first Tuesday of each month, but our January 2011 meeting is taking place later due to the New Year holiday.