I cannot emphasize enough how critical it is to know your options in birth. It is important to know you DO have the right to ask questions, to get a second opinion, to voice your concerns and to be a strong advocate for yourself or your baby. Otherwise, you could quickly find yourself doing things … Continue reading ““That’s actually illegal”… Or is it?”
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Birth Story: Rose
My first born son, Brycen Anthony, arrived at 38.5 weeks, weighing in at 9.4. My second son, Calvin Angelo, arrived at 39.2 weeks, weighing 9.2. So thinking “logically” my third would arrive around that time frame in pregnancy. An assumption I would learn to regret… At 39.3 weeks, Friday February 27th, I emailed the midwife … Continue reading “Birth Story: Rose”
Birth Story: Ryan
{second child, unmedicated hospital birth} My second child was conceived on or around July 19th, 2014. I was 37 years old, my husband, David, 44 years old, and my daughter, Sara, 6 years old. The first 3 months were the hardest with battling nausea, tiredness, and dwindling anxiety. By the second trimester I was ready … Continue reading “Birth Story: Ryan”
Birth Story: Nicholas
{second baby, birth center birth} You are almost a year Nicholas, but it still feels like yesterday. The memory of when I had you in my arms for the first time is so vivid, it keeps bringing tears of joy and accomplishment. I found out that I was pregnant with my second child at 14 … Continue reading “Birth Story: Nicholas”
Protect Your Son From Forced Foreskin Retraction
It happens much more often than it should: a parent feels extremely bothered or angered by an experience at a pediatrician’s office in which a nurse or doctor forcibly retracts the foreskin of an intact child. This can result in pain, crying, redness, bleeding, small tears, swelling and obvious discomfort for the boy. Sometimes this … Continue reading “Protect Your Son From Forced Foreskin Retraction”
Ten Tips for a Better Birth
It’s important to remember that there are no guarantees when it comes to birth – after all, your baby is an active participant in labor and has not done the same preparation you have! – but you can certainly do a lot to stack the odds in your favor and maximize your chances for a … Continue reading “Ten Tips for a Better Birth”
Please! Don’t share these photos of your kids online!
One of the many awesome things about being a doula is that I get to see a lot of wonderful photos and even videos of kids on my Facebook newsfeed. Playing, sleeping, exploring, nursing, laughing…. Firsts of all kinds: crawls, foods, steps, travels… I love to see how these humans grow, learn, eventually head off … Continue reading “Please! Don’t share these photos of your kids online!”
To My Doula Client’s Doctor
Dear Doctor, I recently had a consultation with a potential doula client, a patient of yours. During our conversation, she said something that really struck me. She mentioned that she had asked you about doulas at her last appointment and you had replied with this: “A doula is … Continue reading “To My Doula Client’s Doctor”
52 Projects: #4 The Herb Pot
This “52 Projects” series may not directly have much to do with childbirth education or doula services. But the biggest reason I want to share my efforts in my own personal journey here is that oftentimes as we transition to motherhood, or find ourselves in the thick of it, many of us forget or neglect to … Continue reading “52 Projects: #4 The Herb Pot”
Birth Story: Aryanette Braelyn
{second baby: unintentional unassisted home birth} I conceived right around my son Hendrik Gavin‘s first birthday. I had a weird feeling throughout my whole pregnancy that she was going to come earlier than my son (9 days past his estimated due date (EDD) and faster (my son was 6 hours). The midwives said that every … Continue reading “Birth Story: Aryanette Braelyn”
Breastfeeding On Only One Side
Happy World Breastfeeding Week! In celebration of breastfeeding, and raising awareness of the importance of breastfeeding support for a variety of situations and challenges, I’ve chosen to address one-sided nursing. Why? Well, a couple of my children had a strong enough breast preference that they nursed exclusively on one side for a couple of years. … Continue reading “Breastfeeding On Only One Side”
52 Projects: #3 The Blessing Bags
I don’t remember where I first heard of Blessing Bags but the concept stayed with me and it became a project I wanted to do with my children. We don’t really see many homeless in our day to day, but we do occasionally, and I felt it would be thoughtful to put a few bags … Continue reading “52 Projects: #3 The Blessing Bags”
52 Projects: #2 The Love Notes
When my kids go away for school competitions or scouting trips, or sometimes even just to school for the day, I like to tuck a little love note or two into their luggage or lunch bag. I like to think it’ll be a pleasant surprise for them and that they’ll be reminded of how much … Continue reading “52 Projects: #2 The Love Notes”
52 Projects: #1 The List File
I am a habitual list-maker. My desk is covered in them. I make them for all types of things and enjoy the process of creating lists, both on the computer to print out and on paper. I may fall short on the completion and follow-through of these lists, but I keep on making them. Unsurprisingly, … Continue reading “52 Projects: #1 The List File”
Travel Happy with Kids
When people set off on longer travels with the kids, they often wonder how to keep their little ones occupied in the car or plane. I love to travel and I’m happy to have great travel buddies in my 4 kids. Last summer we spent a month in Europe visiting family and road tripping through … Continue reading “Travel Happy with Kids”
How to Say No To Your Care Provider
During any health journey, but especially when you’re pregnant, you need to be an active participant in and a vocal advocate for your care. You choose the care provider most aligned with your own health care philosophy (to the greatest extent possible within the health care system we have) and ideally, of course, there should be a … Continue reading “How to Say No To Your Care Provider”