See my latest articles below, or click on a topic category to find out what I've written on that specific topic, enjoy!
When you gave birth to your first, there was no one else to worry about – just you and your baby. Well…now, wait a minute. You probably worried about your partner, too. And if you have a cat or a dog or a ferret or other such companion, you likely made sure that they, too, would be looked after while you were in the throes of labor.
Congratulations! Having a new baby in the house is such an exciting and wonderful blessing. But, it can also be overwhelming, especially if this is your first or if you’re trying new things with this baby. Below are some tips to help guide you through this special time.
Breast is best for you and your baby, but it is a learning process. Allow a few weeks for the both of you to become pros. Get help from your midwife or lactation consultant as soon as possible if you are having difficulty. Some excellent resources are pediatrician Dr. Jack Newman’s website and his international center, as well as kellymom.com. General suggestions to ease the process are:
Nurse baby on demand or every 1-½ to 3 hours while you are awake. If the baby has a 4-6 hour stretch in the middle of the night, let baby sleep.
If baby is too sleepy to nurse this often in the beginning, try to rouse by unswaddling and undressing, a diaper change, a gentle back rub, or a cool washcloth on the baby’s forehead.
Nurse one side each feeding. Start the next session on the other breast.
Alternate feeding positions between side lying, cradle and football hold.
Burp baby as needed if appears gassy during and after feeding.
Do not give baby glucose water or common formula, especially while you are trying to get the breastfeeding going. Breastmilk alone, including the ‘liquid gold’ initial breast milk colostrum, is adequate nutrition and hydration for at least the first six months when all is well. The water or formula fills up their tiny stomach so they nurse less, which makes you produce less milk, and the bottle’s teat confuses them and can impair their ability to suck on your nipple. If there are issues and you do need to supplement, pumped or donor breast milk from certified mild banks is the choice method of feeding. If you must give formula, go for the organic brands that most closely resemble breast milk. Use a dropper to the side of baby’s mouth, supplemental nursing system or slow flow nipples that are more similar to the breast.
Avoid smoking, alcohol and drugs while breastfeeding. Always consult your practitioner before taking any medications or herbal preparation.
Limit caffeinated beverages to no more than 1-2 cups per day.
To calm a screaming baby that is too upset to nurse, try:
Changing the diaper
Burping baby
Swaddling baby in a blanket
Giving baby a warm bath
Cradling or cuddling baby close to your chest
Rocking
Singing
Swinging
Talking softly to baby
Giving baby a gentle back massage
Taking baby for a walk or car ride
Holding baby in a position that allows application of slight pressure on his or her abdomen
If all else fails, give baby to your partner, take 30 minutes, and try again.
Babies sleep about 18 hours per day. Place your baby on his or her back, or side to sleep, with baby’s back supported by a rolled receiving blanket.
Babies have greenish-black, sticky stool for the first few days. This is called meconium. Breastfed babies’ stool will then become golden-yellow, soft, and seedy-looking. Once your full milk comes in and replaces colostrum, your baby will have 1-4 stools and 6-8 wet diapers in a 24 hour period. Change the baby before each feeding to prevent diaper rash. For a reddened diaper area, use homeopathic calendula, zinc oxide or herbal diaper cream, A & D ointment, Desitin cream plain or with zinc oxide. French green clay is excellent for diaper rashes. Use talcum free baby powder. Place baby on an absorbent pad and allow periods for baby to be diaper free, or read up on elimination communication - training baby to poop and pee on the potty!
Keep the cord stump dry by folding the front of the baby’s diaper down. Squeeze a saturated cotton ball of alcohol or hydrogen peroxide to the cord stump three times per day to keep it clean. Open a capsule and apply powdered goldenseal herb or herbal combination cord powder around the base. The cord stump should fall off by itself within 8-12 days after the birth.
Wash hands before handling the baby.
Bathe baby with mild natural soap and water, and wash the baby’s hair with a gentle tear-free natural shampoo several times per week (ideally every day – they love it).
After the first 24 hours and the baby’s body temperature stabilizes, dress him according to the temperature as you would dress.
Best to file than cut long nails with scissors, so baby does not scratch her/himself.
Take the baby for a daily outing, but keep the baby away from crowds and people with contagious illnesses.
Wear your baby. Experiment with a few baby carriers and see which one you and baby like the best.
Add to your collection The Baby Book by William and Martha Sears, as it is a wonderful “must have” comprehensive reference and guidebook to the baby’s first two years of life and virtually every aspect of care.
If you had antibiotics or baby was born by cesarean, take extra precautions to restore baby’s microbiome (healthy balance of flora).
It is State law and safe practice that babies ride in car seats every time that they travel in a vehicle.
Always make sure that the baby is not unattended on changing tables, beds or other high places.
If the baby sleeps in bed with you, make sure baby is in a sleeping pod or baby lounger, and that the bed has a guard rail. Do not keep pillows, stuffed animals or extra blankets in the baby’s sleeping area.
Contact your pediatrician immediately if:
The baby becomes listless, will not nurse, is inconsolable, has high pitched screaming, or behaves in an unusual way.
The baby does not urinate within the first 24 hours, or voids less than 6 diapers per day after your milk is in.
The baby has no bowel movement for 48 hours, or has more than 10 watery green, foul-smelling diarrhea diapers per day.
The cord starts to smell bad or has pus oozing from it and the area around it becomes red and swollen.
The baby’s temperature is below 97 degrees or above 99 degrees when taken under the baby’s arm.
The whites of the babies eyes become yellow or the skin color becomes a yellow or tan tinge.
The baby’s skin turns blue or white, especially the trunk or around the mouth.
Projectile vomiting.
For more tips on newborn care and breastfeeding, read my Natural Birth Secrets Book 2nd edition and take my online course. Need more personal guidance? Schedule a consultation with me. Many of the reputable brands of remedies I recommend are available in my online holistic apothecary.
For extra support in relieving common aches and pains, wear an abdominal binder. like Bellefit. They make postpartum support girdles that mamas really love. I have a holistic approach to life, including healing after pregnancy and birthing. Nothing replaces abdominal toning and exercise for restoring muscle strength and tone - which I encourage for all mamas as soon as they feel up to it postpartum. Nothing replaces touch, slow deep abdominal breathing, and a 'love your postpartum body' perspective that I promote. But I have found many mamas simply feel comforted by this support garment, especially early postpartum and temporarily as needed....to be used without forfeiting abdominal toning and strengthening exercise, breathing well and touch.
I have found Bellefit supportive garments to help like they use belly binding around the world such as in Indonesia. They do aid in early postpartum healing and provide support many mamas feel comforted by. I deal with human beings and the reality is many postpartum mom's struggle with body body image, feel frustrated that getting back to themselves takes longer than expected. Being into holistic health and healing includes being sensitive to real human struggles - the mind, body, heart and soul of each person and their unique situation. Having helped countless women with these issues after having a baby as a midwife, I have found many still love that binding and feel better with this support, and ability to fit into their pre-pregnancy clothes comfortably and sooner than they would if they went through a C-section or natural childbirth recovery without it - especially when they have to dress up and fit into a certain favorite outfit for a special occasion or wedding not long after having a baby.
Have a Great Postpartum Recovery (with a little help from Bellefit)!
For more in depth guidance on holistic newborn care and breastfeeding as well as natural modalities for common aliments and discomforts from preconception, pregnancy, through to postpartum,, as well as discussion of hot topics check out my Natural Birth Secrets book 2nd edition. It is also available below in ebook format.
If you are interested in my online Love Your Birth prep Guide to Pregnancy, Birth and Postpartum course - sold separately or bundled with a coaching call with me, keep reading. You will be so glad you did.
Let Me Help You Create The Happiest Birth Experience Of Your Life...
Whether you're a first time or experienced momma,
Or a midwife, doula, or birth professional guiding mommas..
Regardless if you are planning a birth at home, a hospital, a birth center or need a cesarean section, or if you are taking another childbirth education class…
You Really Can Create The Delivery Of Your Dreams.
And have a blissful birth wherever you are.
More Precious Than A Wedding...A Birth Should Be A Celebration!
Let me show you how to…
Understand the sensations of your body and connect your intuition with how your body is communicating and leading you towards what to do during labor
Tap into your inner calm to deeply relax yourself, letting go of busy, stressful and fearful thoughts on demand for the health of baby
Speak your truth from your heart in a way that deepens your relationships, sets clear boundaries, and has people listen to you and support you before, during and after pregnancy
Trust yourself, connect with your body wisdom and communicate with baby in belly
Connect with natural time and sync your body and mind up with your unique biological clock for ease from pregnancy to postpartum
Reprogram negative patterns, stories, and beliefs that undermine your confidence, strength and self trust so you can rock your birth
Physicians and midwives around the world recommend my teachings to their pregnant clients and many Doulas across the country learn the secrets of blissful birthing from me to supplement their Doula Training & Certification process!
To learn more, visit: LOVE YOUR BIRTH Online Childbirth Course which has the syllabus in detail; the course has been updated and made more mobile friendly at a cheaper price now called Anne’s Guide to Pregnancy, Birth and Postpartum here.
It is based on my years of experience, as a midwife and yoga teacher, helping thousands of women tap into their calm and live and birth from a place of grounded relaxation and joy.
“Julia and Gino were blessed to have Anne attend the birth of four of their children in the comfort of their home (they attribute Anne for saving Julia's life by detecting an ectopic pregnancy when the doctors did not!), and wanted to share with the community what an amazing midwife, mother, and entrepreneur Anne is.
In this week’s show, Anne discusses her passion for midwifery, what led her down the path of homebirth, the amazing power and joy of giving birth, and how her struggles in life led to her own transformative healing, growth, deeper joy and inner calm.
Anne draws parallels between raising a family and creating a successful in-person and online business, and how she did not set out to write two books or create online courses and coaching sessions, but a conversation with her daughter about joining Instagram changed it all. And then it grew organically.
Since that conversation, Anne has collected more than 97,000 followers on Instagram alone, and more importantly to her, has been able to serve mothers all over the world, including Australia and Europe.”
Guys, you have a great opportunity coming up real soon to meaningfully show up in a HUGE way for your expectant partner and earn some super easy Dad Card points. You’ve probably been hearing all about being “helpful and supportive” for some time now, but may have had some occasional challenges on figuring out what that exactly looks like on any given day. Let’s face it, nowhere is the saying “what’s true today might not be true tomorrow” more appropriate than in your ever changing pregnancy journey. But no matter where you are in the adventure – from “We’re pregnant!” all the way up to “Any day now!” - this Dad Tip is guaranteed to “count” in all the right ways.
Ready? Here goes. Simply head on out to your nearest drug store and walk over to the greeting card section. There you should find approximately 300,000 Mother’s Day cards to choose from, including a dozen or so of the extra fancy kind that have some sort of 3-D element or intricate origami sculpture hidden inside. I know, the whole card situation is completely out of hand these days, but that’s a topic for another time. Pick out a really nice one, and then more importantly, take a few minutes to write down some great “Words of Affirmation” for your expecting partner. Maybe tell her how excited you are to be starting a family with her. Maybe a few thoughts about your first date, or when you decided that she was truly “a keeper.” Maybe just an inside joke referencing your favorite movie. But whatever you write, make sure you also tell her what a great Mom she already is for your growing baby.
That’s the main point here – she is full-fledged Mama NOW, and has been since she first saw that positive pregnancy test. This is the very first Big Idea I talk about in Welcome To Fatherhood, the great truism that “Women become mothers when they find out they are pregnant, but men don’t become fathers until the baby is born.” You recognizing that reality for her is one of the best ways for you to be “helpful and supportive,” day in and day out, over the course of the pregnancy. Mother’s Day is a great chance to really put some whipped cream and a cherry on top of that, so go big here and get the $10 card. Oh yeah, and don’t forget to get one for your own Mom too!
For more Dad Card info, Big Ideas, and Dad Tips for better connecting with your pregnant partner and better preparing for what lies ahead in your journey towards the Dad Zone please check me and Welcome To Fatherhood .
Guest Post by David Arrell, coach, consultant and author of the book Welcome to Fatherhood, The Modern Man’s Guide to Pregnancy, Childbirth and Fatherhood.
This was our IG live interview on my page. Dads matter! And so is learning how to be there for moms. I convinced him to start an IG account so we could chat live on IG after we rocked our interview on FB live. The interview was inspired by the mamas in my private FB group as well as in my practice, as well as both in person and online, who often ask for more dad to dad support by dads for their partners.
This is your 580 page pregnancy through postpartum bible (as my clients call it), a must have reference in adjunct to the online course; it includes the most effective holistic modalities for common issues and discomforts along the entire journey.
Give yourself, your partner & your baby the priceless gift…of the perfect preparation. Don’t just wing it! Create it! Let Me Help You to Have the Most Exquisite Birth Experience!
Beautiful photo by Megan Hancock Photography
I’ve taken everything I’ve learned, trained and supported women and their partners with, locally and internationally, for over two decades in my private practice.
I’ve poured all of my love, passion, knowledge and experience into creating something truly special for you …my LOVE YOUR BIRTH online course! It is newly updated on a different host site, with 20+ additional bonus videos discussing key topics you always ask me about…at the same old pricing!
This is your key to an immensely positive birth, feeling confident, strong, relaxed, and empowered during the entire process, regardless of the twists and turns it may take.
Dads matter! And so is learning how to be there for moms.
Where to find David:
Web - Welcome to Fatherhood - www.welcometofatherhood.com
Facebook - Welcome to Fatherhood (@welcometofatherhoodcommunity)
Instagram - David Arrell (@welcometofatherhood.wtf)
“On Six Years of Freyja-hood
Freyja turns six tomorrow.
Today was a rainy day of mini-vacation on Cape Cod. There were Mad Libs, there were board games, there was reading, there was the telling of stories. As she got in the bath tonight, I told her the story of her birth and she rolled her eyes and groaned and said "But I already know, Mama!"
Considering the complexity of this child, it's a pretty simple story (featured in more detail on the blog). I will leave out the drama for the squeamish readers and summarize here: Early one morning, spouse says: I'm cancelling my plans for tonight. I feel like I should stay home just in case. Remembering the way my first birth went, I say, no, go ahead and keep your plans! This baby has another two weeks to go. Have a nice day! And off I go to work and about five hours later I go into labor at my desk. Since the last baby took five days of labor to make up her mind about coming out, I think nothing of the contractions and reassure people that everything's fine and there's no cause for alarm. Then I lose my mucus plug while interviewing a candidate for a position on my team (whom I immediately hire), think I am bleeding to death, go get an emergency ultrasound, am told that I am definitely in labor and that I should under no circumstances go back to the office or go anywhere but straight home. In the cab, I alternate between not wanting to scare the cabbie into thinking I will give birth in the backseat of his car and expressing extreme gratitude that my spouse's spidey sense was dead on. He was home to receive me. Figuring we have a long night ahead of us, I sit on the birthing ball, bouncing and screaming and watching a season and a half of Breaking Bad, try to take a nap as Ina May Gaskin advises, and then lie in the bathtub for so long that I don't realize I am transitioning until I am puking all over myself. Spouse calls midwife when my screams become continuous but for the retching. Midwife shows up in a flash and says "holy shit you're having this baby right here in the bathtub, right now" and seventeen minutes later it's 5:03 am and I have a baby on me and a plate full of Oreos that I cram into my mouth two at a time because my blood sugar is low and giving birth makes me hungry in the kind of way that only a gigantic bag of double-stuf Oreos and a newborn baby can satisfy. Midwife and doula clean up and clear out, other child wakes up, spouse passes out from exhaustion and I don't sleep well for the next five and a half years. The end.
So six years ago I was having the homebirth I always wanted, giving birth to a second daughter, completing my family and perfecting my life.
Five years ago I knew there was something terribly wrong with my baby and was trying desperately to convince everyone else that she needed evaluation and help.
Four years ago I was drowning in diagnoses and medical information, trying to navigate the Early Intervention system in New York City, knowing that if she lived, we would leave. If we stayed, she wouldn't stand a chance.
Three years ago she was placed in the wrong classroom. I knew it on the first day of school and it took the DOE an entire year to move her. So much precious time wasted. (But she rocked a ballet dance recital! It was covered in the NY times!) .
Two years ago we made the decision to leave our hometown, the Big Apple, where were were both born and raised and where we'd always been sure we would also die. We knew it was the right thing to do to give both of our children what we felt they needed and deserved.
One year ago I felt hope as she started her last year of preschool in a truly integrated, inclusive setting.
And here we are today, getting ready to celebrate her birthday. It's a celebration of life. Her life. Of beating the odds, a day at a time. For the older she gets, the more victorious we feel. Her diagnosis is cruel and unforgiving, but she doesn't know it. It doesn't stop her and she doesn't let anything stop us. We are sleeping a little better now because we mostly believe she will be alive when we go upstairs to rouse her every morning. She is thriving and blossoming and she is just so busy being.
She has big plans for her birthday. She has a fancy dress to wear and wants cake and donuts and presents and family and friends. She tells everyone she sees that she is turning six on September 24th and that she is really excited. But her party is a week later, so she plans to celebrate all week long. And then it will be Halloween soon and she's going to be Princess Anna, who is from Frozen, in case you didn't know. She rattles this all off to the checkout person at the grocery store, the barista at the coffee shop, the bus driver, the lady who cleans the bathrooms in the town center. And they look down at her and I watch them take her in, their eyes running over the walker, the leg braces, and the sparkly eyes and big smile. I see her as they see her and I watch as they fall in love with her and I am proud that she is mine, this little being who spreads joy wherever she goes, warming the hearts of everyone she encounters.
In a way, Freyja is Milo, the main character in my favorite book of all time, The Phantom Tollbooth. Milo is sent on a journey, the truth of which the King of Dictionopolis and the Mathemagician both know but refuse to tell him until he has returned successful. Instead they wish him well, set him up with an entourage consisting of bugs and dogs to keep him safe, give him tools to fight the demons he will surely encounter, and send him on his way.
Remember that thing we told you we couldn't tell you until you were back? the kings say to Milo at the festival they hold in his honor upon his return, having rescued the princesses of Sweet Rhyme and Pure Reason and restored them to ruling the kingdom of Wisdom. Yes, he says eagerly. What was it? "It was impossible," one of them says, very seriously. "Completely impossible," says the other.
If Freyja is Milo, then I am the King of Dictionopolis, powerless to fix the plight of my own child but with a head full of all the letters and words in the whole world, and Johnny is the Mathemagician, with a magic staff that rewrites all the formulas and creates solutions to unusual problems. We created this child. We unwittingly set her up for this journey, and now, just shy of six years in, we can look at her and marvel. What we knew would be completely impossible, she has done.
But I'm never going to tell her that.
At Back to School night a couple weeks ago, several parents came up to me, introduced themselves, and told me they hear about Freyja every single day from their kids. I smiled and made small talk and chatted about play dates that probably won't ever happen, and I wondered how they knew I was her mother. How did they know? I had no name tag on. I hadn't even opened my mouth. Do I just exude L'Air Du Special Needs Mama somehow?
I pondered this as I sat down in her tiny chair. We listened to her teacher as she talked about school rules, field trips they needed volunteer chaperones for, allergies in the classroom, ziploc bags full of extra underwear and socks I needed to send in. In seventeen little folders on the tables were seventeen green sheets of paper, upon which we were asked to write down some emergency contact information. Under this was a blank space, at the beginning of which read: "Tell us a little bit about what your hopes and dreams are for your child to achieve this year!" I chewed my pen cap, thinking. I peered over at the mom next to me to peek at what she was writing, but I couldn't see. I wondered what other parents said. I want Junior to be able to read chapter books this year. We hope that Molly continues to benefit from the socialization that preschool provided last year. Who knows? I closed my eyes for a moment and then I wrote: "Freyja is a hardworking, determined child who benefits from an inclusive environment with neurotypical peers as models. Of course we are concerned about her academics but even more important to us is this: We know that schoool, like life, is full of joys and frustrations. We want Freyja to be able to face both as she grows. She will never stop working toward her goals. If she knows you are working with her, she will never ever let you down, so please don't ever give up on her." And I folded the green sheet of paper and dropped it into the pile on the teacher's desk and walked out into the night, back toward home, to my sleeping girls, to the life that I never knew was possible until Freyja came along. “ by Aimee Christian @thewriteaimee
Raising children is the biggest blessing and can be incredibly challenging, let alone parenting a child with illness or special needs. My own wake up call was my daughter’s serious disease, and then my sister’s son who was diagnosed with having autism. I had to hit rock bottom several times before I woke up. But I am so glad I woke up, so I could be there for myself, my family, my friends and my clients.
Are you overstressed? Do you suffer from psychic pain? Do you battles symptoms from previous traumas (physical or emotional) which are interfering with your present life, and preventing you from living fully and in your joy? If you need help healing, and want to release what is no longer serving you and get yourself back…. I have a program specifically for you, that includes this revolutionary and powerfully effective natural healing modality called Clarity Breathwork. Helping women heal trauma, inner stress and emotional pain is one of my huge passions and areas of expertise. Because I have been there, because I have healed myself, because I am so grateful I took the additional training, because I care and feel compelled to share this gold with others. Pain is common, suffering is rampant…but suffering is a choice, as are peace and joy. I must do what I can help people find their peace and joy that is our birthright as human beings!
