Xenia Dar a Luz Network

November Meeting: Pregnancy and the Swine Flu

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 22:29:18 -0500

Please come and join us Monday, November 9 as we discuss the Swine Flu and pregnancy. There is so much information out there; it can be hard to wade through it all. We’ll bring some of the latest information on what pregnant women need to know in regards to this flu. If you have information that you have gathered, please feel free to bring it and share it with the group. This is a discussion and information sharing meeting and the more information we have, the better.

Children are welcome to attend. Bring a friend. We can’t wait to see you there!

Questions? Call Bethany at 376-0304 or reply to this email.

October Meeting: Planning for homebirth

Sun, 11 Oct 2009 23:09:10 -0400

If you’ve ever considered a homebirth or wonder how to prepare for giving birth at home, you’ll love this discussion on how to prepare to have your baby at home. We will have lots of time for questions you may have on the subject of homebirth or preparing for birth in general. Please join us at the Xenia Public Library, 76 E. Market Street in the upstairs meeting room. We meet every second Monday of the month at 7 pm. Bring a friend! If you have any questions, you can call me, Bethany, at 376-0304.

September Meeting: Local Midwife to Speak

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 15:57:39 -0400

Please join us Monday, September 14, at 7 pm in the upper conference room of the Xenia Library for Dar a Luz to hear Jalana Lazar, Certified Nurse Midwife with Lifestages - Samaritan Centers for Women. We are hoping the topic will be all about hormones and how they affect women, but we’re not really sure! Come find out what we actually do talk about!

Light refreshments will be provided.

Children are welcome to attend.

We had a break during August with no meeting, so we’ve missed gathering together with you. Please come out and reconnect with us!

July Meeting: Gentle Birth Choices Video

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 14:33:58 -0400

Please join us on Monday at 7 pm in Xenia as we watch and discuss a video entitled Gentle Birth Choices. According to the cover:

This documentary:

Brilliantly demonstrates the power of women in childbirth
Dispels commonly held beliefs about water birth, midwives, and vaginal birth after caesarean, birth centers and circumcision.
Boldly states that women need to be in charge of their birth experience.
Beautifully reveals the magic and mystery of birth through the experience of six women actually giving birth in the nurturing environments they chose including; standing, suatting, water birth and home birth

Featuring: Michael Odent, MD, Marsden Wagner, MD, Maggie Bennett, CM, Nancy McNeese, CNM, Michael Rosenthal, MD, and Barbara Harper, RN.

The Xenia Dar a Luz has free monthly support meetings for moms from all walks of life. We meet every second Monday of the month at the Xenia Public Library, 76 E. Market Street at 7 pm. This month, we will be in the downstairs meeting room, just as you enter the library. Children are welcome to attend.

Bring a friend. We can’t wait to see you there!

Questions? Call Bethany at 376-0304.

June Meeting: Preparing for Birth

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 00:09:36 -0400

The Dar a Luz chapter in Xenia is pleased to announce an informal summer meeting in the park. We’ll be meeting Monday, June 8 at 7 pm under the pavilion at Shawnee Park in Xenia. The park is located just a block north of the library. You can see it to your right as you head north on Route 68 to Yellow Springs just 2 blocks past the courthouse and downtown area.

Our topic for the month is Preparing for Birth. Just think about the special and particular things that you do to get ready for labor and birth. We will just be informally sharing our own ways to prepare for birth and hopefully learning some new things we can do to get ready for the big event. If you’ve ever had a baby, you will have valuable input for all of us on this topic. If you’ve not had a baby, this will be a great meeting to gain some wisdom from other mamas who have been there.

Please join us at the Shawnee Park pavilion TONIGHT! We can’t wait to see you there. Questions? Call Bethany at 376-0304.

May Meeting: Taking Care of Your Pelvic Floor

Sun, 10 May 2009 09:33:18 -0400

What is your pelvic floor? What does it do and how can you take optimal care of it? This is a part of your body that is very little discussed or appreciated, and yet can benefit from a few simple exercises to keep it in top shape. Many women develop problems stemming from a weak pelvic floor, so come to the free, informational Xenia Dar a Luz meeting on Monday, May 11 to learn all about your own pelvic floor and what you can do throughout pregnancy and beyond to keep it in tip-top shape. This is truly information that every single women needs to know.

Bring a friend. We can’t wait to see you there!

The Xenia Dar a Luz has monthly support meetings for moms from all walks of life. We meet every second Monday of the month at the Xenia Public Library, 76 E. Market Street in the upstairs meeting room at 7 pm. Children are welcome to attend.

Questions? Call Bethany at 376-0304.

April Meeting: Due Dates...

Fri, 10 Apr 2009 09:44:00 -0400

“When are you due?” It’s the first question we hear. We look forward to this day, we plan around it. But it can bring great anxiety when we realize, “I’m an entire week late, and so far no sign of going into labor! It’s not safe to go too long past the due date (not to mention I’m tired of being pregnant) … I’m going to have to be induced.” Pregnancy DUE DATES. What are they really? How are they calculated? What do they mean? When is it too early or too late to safely go into labor? At what point is it reasonable to consider induction? Share stories, gather information, offer your support: Monday, April 13, is the next Dar a Luz meeting, held in the upper conference room at the Xenia library at 7pm, and we will be discussing this often misunderstood issue and hearing some of the facts from some knowledgeable speakers.

The Xenia Dar a Luz has monthly support meetings for moms from all walks of life. We meet every second Monday of the month at the Xenia Public Library, 76 E. Market Street in the upstairs meeting room at 7 pm.

Questions? Call Bethany at 376-0304.

We hope to see you there!

February Meeting: Morning Sickness Solutions

Sun, 08 Feb 2009 18:40:29 -0500

Morning sickness: Most of us are afflicted at some level during our pregnancy, but there is surprisingly little in the way of surefire remedies for this pregnancy malady. Even the causes are up for debate. I personally have had several different levels of morning sickness, and have found a solution that works for me and for several of my friends. This meeting I would love to share it with you, and for you to share any solutions that may have worked for you. Let’s pool our mama knowledge and create a dialogue that may make a real difference in our lives and the lives of those around us who are suffering through morning sickness.

Please join us at the Xenia Public Library, 76 E. Market Street in the upstairs meeting room. We meet every second Monday of the month at 7 pm. Bring a friend!

If you have any questions, you can call me, Bethany, at 376-0304.

See you Monday night!

January Meeting: Discussing Circumcision

Sun, 11 Jan 2009 22:21:00 -0500

We’d like to invite you to join us Monday, January 11, 2008 at 7 pm for our January meeting. We will be discussing circumcision and the many different issues surrounding this subject. We welcome you to come and listen or join in and share your thoughts on the subject.

The Xenia Dar a Luz meets every second Monday of the month at 7 pm at the Xenia Public Library, 76 E. Market Street in the upstairs meeting room. Bring a friend!

We look forward to seeing you there.

December Meeting: When Breastfeeding is Difficult

Sun, 07 Dec 2008 23:46:02 -0500

We will be welcoming Nancy Cohen, MS, RD, LD, IBCLC and WIC Breastfeeding Coordinator (whew!). Nancy will be sharing with us about what to do when breastfeeding is difficult. Many of us have been there at one time or another. This will be a great chance to bring your own questions and problems to learn from an expert.

*Meeting is free!
*Children are welcome
*Refreshments provided

Xenia Dar a Luz meets every second Monday of the month at 7 pm at the Xenia Public Library, 76 E. Market Street in the upstairs meeting room. Bring a friend!

Questions? Call Bethany at 376-0304.

Can’t wait to see you there!

November Meeting: Examining Vaccinations

Fri, 07 Nov 2008 15:11:38 -0500

This meeting ought to be really interesting! Dr. Blair Labig, DC, will be joining us to share his personal and professional reflections on the role of vaccinations for children. If you have any children at all, you’ve already had to ponder the implications of this decision for your child. It is a huge topic with so many facets to consider, so hopefully you can come away from this meeting armed with some new information that will be of some help to you.

We love to discuss issues and hear everyone’s thoughts, so bring those burning questions on the topic of immunization to our Xenia Dar a Luz meeting on Monday, November 10, 2008, at 7 pm. We meet at the Xenia Public Library at 76 E. Market Street in the upstairs meeting room. Bring a friend!

Questions? Call Bethany at 376-0304

Can’t wait to see you there!

October Meeting: Mommy Knows Best...Your Rights as a Consumer

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 10:04:05 -0400

I know, I know…Your Rights as a Consumer doesn’t sound all that exciting, but in fact it’s one of the most important topics you can be informed about if you’re planning on having a baby in the United States. As medical consumers, we are protected by certain rights, but we can’t exercise them if we don’t know what they are. Come on out Monday night at 7 pm to find the answers to these questions and more:

My doctor says he induces everyone at 39 weeks. Do I have to be induced?
I want to have a VBAC but no one will accept me as a patient. What can I do?
I want to wear my own nightgown during labor but it’s against hospital policy. Do I have a choice?
During my last labor, they used Pitocin against my wishes, but I didn’t feel I had a choice. Did I?

Come join us at 7 pm, this Monday, October 13, 2008 at the Xenia Public Library, 76 E. Market Street. Our meetings are free and open to all. We’ll have a chance for you to ask questions and plenty of opportunity for learning and discussion. There will be yummy refreshments and titillating conversation! We can’t wait to see you there.

Questions? Call Bethany at 376-0304.

August meeting...Planning your VBAC and more

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 22:47:15 -0400

Please join us this Monday evening at 7 pm for our monthly support meeting. This month we will be discussing both avoiding an unnecessary C-section as well as planning a VBAC (Vaginal Birth After Cesarean). There will be important information for anyone planning to have a baby. We hope to see you there!

The Xenia Dar a Luz meets on the second Monday of every month at 7 pm in the upstairs meeting room at the Xenia Public Library, 76 E. Market Street. Our meetings are free and open to all. If you have any questions about this meeting, please call Devon at 241-5954.

Ricki Lake's The Business of Being Born

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 07:07:49 -0400

Ricki Lake's The Business of Being Born:

For our July meeting we will watch Ricki Lake’s movie, The Business of Being Born:

Birth is a miracle, a rite of passage, a natural part of life. But birth is also big business.

Compelled to explore the subject after the delivery of her first child, actress Ricki Lake recruits filmmaker Abby Epstein to question the way American women have babies.

The film interlaces intimate birth stories with surprising historical, political and scientific insights and shocking statistics about the current maternity care system. When director Epstein discovers she is pregnant during the making of the film, the journey becomes even more personal.

Should most births be viewed as a natural life process, or should every delivery be treated as a potentially catastrophic medical emergency? (from http://www.thebusinessofbeing born.com/about)

It’s a movie everyone should see. Why not come out tonight, enjoy some popcorn and relax while we watch this controversial documentary? The Xenia Dar a Luz Network chapter meets at the Xenia Public Library every second Monday of the month in the upstairs meeting room at 7 pm. The library is located at 76 E. Market Street in Xenia, directly north of the courthouse downtown.

The meeting is free and open to all. Please come and bring a friend!

Questions? Call Bethany at 376-0304.

A little more about us....

Sun, 08 Jun 2008 16:47:27 -0400

As the leader of the Xenia Dar a Luz Network, I just wanted to let you all know who we are and what we do. First of all, let me introduce myself. My name is Bethany Dykman, and I’ve been leading this group, along with Kelly, for the last year. I have a great interest in pregnancy and birth, especially natural birth, prenatal nutrition, midwifery, and home birth. Those are my personal areas of interest. I suppose the meetings tend to revolve a bit around those topics since they are what I know the most about, but I also like learning new things, so you’ll see topics that even I don’t know much about represented as well. I’m also a doula and a mother of 3, so I can offer information based on my experiences in those areas, as well.

As a group, we’ve been meeting for just over a year. The meetings are generally small, ranging from just 3 people to over 10. No matter the size, though, we always seem to have a good time and some interesting discussion. After all, it only takes getting 2 women together for there to be endless conversation, right? :) If you’re reading this now, and have never attended one of our meetings, I encourage you to drop by some time. We are friendly and love to meet new moms in the area. Whether pregnant now or quite some time ago, we all have stories to share, so please stop in and attend one of our meetings. We can’t wait to see you there!

Fathers During Pregnancy and Birth

Sun, 08 Jun 2008 16:35:53 -0400

We hope you can join us for the meeting of Dar a Luz Network in Xenia on Monday, June 9. We will be having a roundtable discussion about Fathers During Pregnancy and Birth, just in time for Father’s Day. Several dads will be on hand to share their experiences. We hope both moms and dads can come and join in the discussion, and of course your kids are welcome, too!

The Xenia Dar a Luz Network meets at the Xenia Public Library on the second Monday of every month in the upstairs meeting room at 7 pm. The library is located at 76 E. Market Street in Xenia, just one block north of the court house.

If you have any questions, you may call Bethany at 376-0304.

Bring the Best of all your Baby Bounty!

Fri, 09 May 2008 15:37:21 -0400

Come to Xenia Dar a Luz this Monday, May 12, to boast about your favorite baby item, such as favorite car seat, sling, cloth diaper, toy, book, cream, or other item you feel is unique, worth-every-penny or simply an essential! This is a great, relaxing and informative meeting for anyone who is pregnant to learn about all the cool stuff out there you didn’t even know you needed! And if you’re an experienced mom, we need to know all those things that make life with a baby just a little bit easier.

Any questions or concerns about pregnancy, birth, and newborns are always welcome. Come, support, share and learn.

Special for May’s meeting: Enter your name into a drawing for fabulous door prizes!
Bring your babies and children!
Light refreshments provided.
We look forward to seeing you!

Xenia Dar a Luz meets in the upstairs meeting room at the Xenia Public Library, 76 E. Market Street, from 7-8:30 pm on the second Monday of every month.

Questions? Call Bethany at 376-0304

Everything you ever wanted to know about epidurals...

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 11:16:18 -0400

…and more!

Please join us at the Xenia Dar a Luz Meeting this coming Monday, April 14, at 7 pm. We meet at the Xenia Public Library, 76 E. Market Street, just one block north of the courthouse in downtown Xenia.

We will be sharing pros and cons of epidurals and will discuss what all the latest research has to say. You may already know some things about epidurals, but I bet some of the information will surprise you! As always, our goal is to provide a non-exclusive, caring and knowledgeable circle of support for any woman no matter where she is on her life path. Please come to share & learn with us.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Bethany and Kelly, your Xenia Dar a Luz leaders

If you have any questions, please call Bethany at 376-0304.

The Delivery Debate | Newsweek Voices - Her Body | Newsweek.com

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 09:29:00 -0500

The Delivery Debate | Newsweek Voices - Her Body | Newsweek.com:

A balanced article exploring some options in childbirth. Kudos to Newsweek for not vilifying any of the sides in this heated debate. Check it out!

February Meeting: Happiest Baby on the Block

Sun, 10 Feb 2008 18:30:38 -0500

Please join us as Jo Ellen Newell, Happiest Baby on the Block educator, shares with us some innovative ways to calm your crying baby. The Happiest Baby on the Block is a unique program developed by a pediatrician to help parents meet their baby’s needs. According to the program’s website, this program teaches “4 ancient principles that are crucially important for anyone who wants to understand babies and be skillful at comforting them and improving their sleep.” And who couldn’t use that?

We hope you’ll join us this Monday, February 11th at 7 pm in the upstairs meeting room of the Xenia Public Library, located at 76 E. Market Street in Xenia. This is just one block north of the courthouse in downtown Xenia.

Can’t wait to see you there! If you have any questions, please email xenia@daraluznetwork.com or call Bethany at 376-0304.