Int'l Doula Month - Giveaway #5

Dawnella owns Mother's Moon etsy shop and has offered up one of her beautifully petite, stunning MiniBellycasts.

Hand molded, each one is a mini (just over two inch tall) work of art. Those available here are undecorated, and are also available unstrung...and be strung with a silk ribbon for hanging.

I also enjoyed getting to know the artist behind the bellycast, and invite you to read along to learn more about Dawnella, a doula, author, and artisan.

I grew up near many farms, and from a young age watched much livestock being born. By the time I was a teenager I was also present at the birth of many human babies as well. It was always a beautiful experiance, even when there were struggles. Some moms labored quietly on their own, and others needed encouragement and support... I first learned "on the job" from grandmother midwives. Now I've been a doula for twenty five years!

The sight of my own son, now long out of even toddlerhood, when he is at rest, or laughing with the sunlight behind him, makes my heart still skip a beat, and sigh with happiness.

My own favorite item that I sell is the Hand-painted Birthing Cloth. I love creating the art, the symbolisim of it, and chosing the herbs to include, and I like that it is an item of comfort that can be passed down for generations.

When I think of a doula, I think of warm hands :)

I am hoping for the continued growth (regrowth) of homebirths, allowed certification of midwives, more insurance companies offering coverage to moms who chose midwives and doulas. I am happy to see more hospitals becoming breastfeeding advocates...cloth diapering is next!

I hope folks enjoy my Etsy shop, and I'd love for them to also visit my doula web-site (I recently received an email thanking me for providing great pregnancy information for a student's thesis!) and blog as well as another site of mine, Barefoot Storyteller.

RULES FOR ENTERING:

Remember, EACH OF THESE count as one entry. You have to complete the first entry to be able to be able to have the other entries counted. To have them counted as one entry each, they must each be fulfilled with their own, separate, comment. Be sure that your comment contains your email either in the body of the message, or through your profile.

• For your initial entry, you must visit either her etsy store or her book store, then come back and let me know which is your favorite item and why in a comment.
  
• For an additional entry, post a link to this giveaway on your FB OR create your own blog post regarding this giveaway, with a link to this post, then comment with a link back to your blog post/FB post.. Then, copy and paste a link to that in a comment here on my blog.
  
• For an additional entry, read either her storyteller's blog or Mother's Moon blog, then write something new that you learned or liked at either in a comment here on my blog.
  
• If you took advantage of the Early Bird Entries, you can add any/all of your Early Bird entries to this giveaway by commenting with the words "EB Entry".
  

Entries will be closed on May 29th, at midnight, and the drawing will occur on May 31st, at noon.

Happy entering!!!