Womb of One's Own

02/14/2023

“My ability to have a child is leaving me,” the actor said about going through perimenopause at 50. “But I don't agree that that's what fertile means.”

01/27/2023

For those of you who attended Parenting Bundle pre-holidays, we're back in-person on Thursdays!

Spots are limited, register here: https://wabano.com/event/parenting-bundle-4/2023-02-02/

11/23/2022

Imagine 🤍

11/16/2022

We are looking to hear from our community members about how our work has impacted you! Why do you value Planned Parenthood Ottawa in your community? Have you accessed our services or received support from our team during a challenging or important time in your life? What does our work mean to you? T...

09/16/2022

“I was raised in rigid purity culture. I never received proper sexual education, and entered college with an abstinence-only mindset where my value was dependent on someday allowing my ‘untainted’ body to be given in marriage.

I was completely socially unprepared for the world outside of the closed community I was raised in…I was vulnerable to manipulation and coercion. I quickly found myself being talked into things I really didn’t even want, and immediately felt as though my life was over….I gave up and fell to the whim of anyone who showed interest in me, because my self-worth had been buried under miles of shame and defeat.

At 21 years old, I found myself pregnant, compounding the belief that my body wasn’t my own. It was now being used by someone whom I did not have the physical, emotional, or financial means to carry. Something then woke up inside of me, screaming to take my autonomy back for the first time in my life. I knew immediately that abortion was the right thing for me to do, for both of us.

Now, nearly a decade later, I am still proud of my choice. My gratitude for the ability to do so grows every day. It gave me a chance to gather myself up into my own embrace; to truly discover who I am and what to do with my life. It allowed me to build a strength I never thought possible.

Purity culture made me believe that my body was not my own. My abortion allowed me to take my body back and it truly saved my life, in more ways than one.”

Read the full story and share your own at our website:
https://shoutyourabortion.com/writing/my-abortion-saved-me-4/ 💛

09/16/2022

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/chrissy-teigen-miscarriage-abortion-john-legend-baby-jack-1235221899/

I'm grateful for Chrissy Teigen for speaking openly about this. The reason she "never, ever put that together" that her procedure was, in fact, an abortion is because our society likes to morally distinguish between pregnancies that end for "good" reasons (to save the mother's life, to spare the baby suffering) and pregnancies that end for "bad" reasons (any reason not deemed sufficiently justified by the rest of the world). The "morally good" endings are miscarriages, procedures, "heartbreaking choices," whereas the "morally bad" endings are lumped together as abortions.

Abortions are had by people who don't want to be pregnant at all. They are also sometimes also had by people who desperately want to be pregnant, but one of any number of circumstances make the ending of the pregnancy the best choice for them. They are all valid. And they are all abortions.

"Abortion" is not a bad word. When we perpetuate stigma around the word "abortion," we cloud people's understanding of what it really is, what is entails, and when it's needed. And it does nothing to connect our experiences to one another, which we must if we are to build compassion and understanding around this vital medical procedure.

She had previously said that she had a miscarriage. "It had taken me over a year to understand that I actually had an abortion," an emotional Teigen confessed at "A Day of Unreasonable Conversation" summit.

09/12/2022

Back by popular demand, the Just For Dads workshop is starting up September 27th. This group offers dads a safe space to learn from one another and get parenting information. Don't delay register today https:
https://familyservicesottawa.org/services/just-for-dads/

09/12/2022

"They tell us how to grow a baby. What to eat.
What not to eat. What vitamins to take and what bras to buy. Allll the prenatal yoga moves to do.

But they forget to tell us how to put ourselves back together once that baby is born.
They forget to tell us how we might feel like we’re drifting.
Afloat. Alone. On a life raft with leaky breasts and sore stitches and a tiny little being dependent upon us for survival.
They forget to tell us how weird and wild it feels to have loose organs shifting about inside of us. How there will be so much softness still.

I get it. You don’t want to startle us. You don’t want us to be scared about what’s ahead.
But….a little heads up would be helpful
We’re brave enough for the truth.
And those things you find so scary- loose skin and leaky breasts and big feelings- we might just be bold enough to welcome them.
To see the beauty there.

So here’s the truth mama-
Your pelvic floor will probably need work and attention. You’ll have to put in some effort to regain that muscle strength, no matter how gentle your birth. Your breasts and belly will probably never be the same. Love them anyway. Love than more than before!! Celebrate them! Buy bras that make you feel sexy. Then move on.

Your identity and sense of self will change radically. Buckle up for the ride. You’ve got this. Your partnership and friendships and general relationship with the outside world might feel foreign for awhile. Or forever. Those relationships might crack and break under the weight of new parenthood. Live your truth. Leave the rest behind. In love.

The whole world might feel shaken up.
You’ll probably feel shaky and raw
That’s normal (they just forgot to tell you.)

You’re new here. In this skin. In this role. In this love. You’ll find your way. You’ll find your rhythm. It will all fall into place- with time.
Until then- breathe.
As deeply as you can.
Drink your tea before it gets cold.
If you can.
Rest -
whenever you can.
And love on your new self.
As deeply as you can."

❤️

08/22/2022

Send us an email or dm with your name and email to register for our August workshops 🌿

06/28/2022

I've done this training, and it is excellent ❤️

Join me for a training in August! Please email me directly for info or to register, I don’t check ASSA social media msgs, Emma does, and she will just direct you to me 😀 ASSA.coordinator@gmail.com

06/15/2022

This summer SASC Ottawa is running a peer-support group for parents who have experienced or have children that have experienced gender-based violence. We welcome all mothers and parents with marginalized gender identities including trans men and non-binary folks, whether currently pregnant or with older children.

Parents and families that have experienced gender-based or sexual violence have unique needs in navigating the healing process. Being a parent of a child who has survived sexual violence is challenging - it can be difficult to know how best to support them.
Being a parent who has survived sexual violence can be equally as challenging, as you try to balance the responsibilities of parenthood, with your own healing journey.

Our 8-week long peer support group will provide a safe-space to explore some of these unique challenges with people who have had similar experiences.

For more information & to register, contact Chandra at directservice@sascottawa.com or 613-857-0197