giving birth

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Do I Really Need to Do(ula) This?

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Do I Really Need to Do(ula) This?

Let’s have a little doula chat, shall we? You’re pregnant, and as a result, you’ve acquired a whole new vocabulary: baby-wearing, layette, milk-duct, meconium, hybrid-diapers, effacement, linea alba – the list goes on.  One word that will become ever-present on your prenatal planet will be this one: “doula”. You’ll hear it from friends, on social media, in your childbirth class, maybe even from your local grocery store check-out staffer. So, because you have an inquiring mind of the prenatal kind (where you HAVE to know everything, but then forget it five minutes later), you are going to investigate the heck out of this doula thing. And we applaud you for that. If you want a solid intro as to why you should hire a labor support doula, please watch Anne’s video.

Childbirth Classes - What's the Scoop?

Childbirth Classes - What's the Scoop?

If you have found your way to this blog, then you are clearly interested in learning about childbirth education. And there is a lot to learn about the learning, so to speak! Please allow me to break down a few burning questions you may have, like why taking a class is so, so, so important, as well as which ones are worth your while.

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Breastfeeding - A Little Myth Busting

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Breastfeeding - A Little Myth Busting

If you were to ask 100 different moms about what breastfeeding means to them, you might literally receive 100 different answers. You could also ask 100 different babies to wax poetic on the subject, but I’m uncertain as to just how far that would get you.

I’m not here to talk about positions, nor reasons why you should consider nursing on demand, nor to expand upon the chemical properties of breastmilk nor debate the latest in breastfeeding nightgown technology. What I am here to do is to dispel a few myths that inevitably pepper nursing conversations whenever they pop up at a cocktail party (at which you will not be having a cocktail):

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A Homebirth....in Hospital?

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A Homebirth....in Hospital?

Homes and hospitals. They might not seem to have a whole lot in common, except for the fact that they both begin with the letter “H”.

But homebirth and hospital birth can and do co-exist, though that is sometimes hard to reconcile. We are so accustomed to categorization in our society – something has to be either/or; this or that. And often times those two choices are seemingly opposing ones. Why? Must there be conflict and judgment at every turn, especially when we are talking about teenie-weenie, precious babies and their awesome, warrior moms?

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What Questions Should You Ask When Interviewing A Midwife?

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What Questions Should You Ask When Interviewing A Midwife?

Grab a glass of iced tea and settle in as we explore our first “Ask the Midwife” topic: “What questions should I ask when interviewing a midwife”?

When it comes to our care and that of our babies, we want to leave no stone unturned. And we all probably know the basics. But it takes a little bit more reconnaissance to uncover personality traits or practice philosophy that might not be immediately apparent when you are trying to decide which midwife will be best suited to your needs and preferences.