how many children do you have?
two
how many pregnancies have you had?
1
how old were you when you gave birth?
36
what are your childrens' ages?
2 years and 9 months (twins)
did any of those end in early release? (miscarriage, still birth or abortion?) if so, can you share a little about those experience?
No
what surprised you about the mushroom journey?
How confident I am that it is blessing my children with its medicine and wisdom. I had no qualms about my boys nursing while I was microdosing, and I did nurse them after a weekend ceremony of a larger dose, but more than 12-16 hours after that dose.
Protocol & Dosing
with psilocybin, what has been your dosing experience?
microdose (.1 - 1 gram), mid dose (1-3 grams), full dose (3+ grams)
how long did you dose for?
still dosing
if microdosing, what size would you have? (.1 - 1gram)
.1g, .15g, .2g
in what form were you ingesting the mushroom?
whole, powdered, Small flake off of a mushroom in tea or on its own
how often did you dose?
intuitively -- as needed
if you were on a protocol, what protocol did you follow?
Depended on my work life balance, but usually 1-3 days per week
did you have any support with dosing?
when did you start ingesting mushrooms?
after i gave birth
Pregnancy
why did you choose to ingest mushrooms before your pregnancy?
NA, but I had experienced ayahuasca ceremonies prior to getting pregnant
why did you choose to ingest mushrooms during your pregnancy?
I did not ingest during my pregnancy
what benefits did you notice in your pregnancy?
NA
After Birth & Breastfeeding
why did you choose to ingest mushrooms after you gave birth?
I was looking for a way to integrate smaller ceremony into my life after giving birth to twins and not having the time and ability to be away for a full weekend ceremony container, and I began to explore mushrooms and microdosing to help me connect with myself and the awe of the present moment in my life. I struggled with significant PPA and some PPD after birthing my twins, and also struggled with having enough milk for them.
did you ingest mushrooms while breastfeeding?
Yes
did you notice any benefits to a) yourself b) to your baby and what were the benefits when ingesting mushrooms while breastfeeding?
A) I felt more present and more positively connected to myself and my babies. I was more in tune w my babies’ needs
B) I think my babies seemed more in tune with me and wanted to nurse more when microdosing
did you notice any challenges to a) yourself b) to your baby and what were the benefits when ingesting mushrooms while breastfeeding?
A) work at times became less important B) babies seemed to desire nursing more
Parenting
what benefits did you notice in your parenting that you attribute to the mushroom?
I felt more of a sense of awe and love, all of the beauty of the natural world and my boys and family became more alive. I feel more attuned to my needs and others’ needs and more capable of deep connection and empathy.
what were the unwanted effects or challenges of ingesting mushrooms while parenting?
Sometimes I wanted to put off other life admin tasks or connected so well to the present moment that future planning was more challenging
what benefits have you noticed about your children that you attribute to the mushroom?
My boys are deeply compassionate and in tune to the present moment and want to connect with others.