Posts by Julie Brill
Pregnant? 4 Questions to Ask Yourself Now About Your Labor
What is my fantasy of the perfect birth experience? Do you want to squat to push out your baby in your bedroom? Labor in water? Get an epidural in the hospital parking lot? While no one can predict how your labor will go, thinking about your ideal will help you make decisions now and in…
Read MoreTop Tips for Birth Partners
Help her stay in the moment while you plan ahead. A laboring mom’s job is to take one contraction at a time. But the partner can help by thinking ahead. Maybe you’re slow dancing together, and all is well. It’s helpful for the partner to think about what to suggest when mom is ready to…
Read MorePregnant? Prepare Now for Breastfeeding!
Our new scientific understanding of the microbiome and epigenetics is helping us to understand how babies who are fed human milk, and those who are fed formula, are inhabited by different microbes. Our comprehension of why babies who aren’t breastfed are more likely to have health issues is deepening. One reason is there is a…
Read MoreWhy I Became a Childbirth Educator by Ann Tohill
When I was pregnant with my daughter in 2009, I signed up for Childbirth Education classes. I had done so much reading and watched so many births and documentaries and as prepared as felt I could be, I was also still really fearful of the labor and birthing process. When it was time, I attended…
Read MoreIn Labor, Gravity Is Your Friend
Imagine a woman giving birth. What position do you see her in? If, like most people, your views on birth have been shaped by what you see on tv and in the movies, you likely imagine her lying flat on her back in a hospital bed. Traditionally birth took place at home, and people formed…
Read MorePregnant? Increase Your Chances of Birthing Vaginally
Most women plan to give birth vaginally, yet more than one in three babies are born by cesarean in the United States. There are many things you can do prenatally and in labor to help to lower your risk of cesarean. Start by asking your provider what his or her cesarean rate is, and compare…
Read MoreMilk Banks and Donor Moms Save Lives
I recently got to tour the Mother’s Milk Bank Northeast. What an inspiring field trip for someone who is fascinated by all things lactation! I watched donor milk being pasteurized, toured the freezers, and learned about the bank’s operations. It was awesome to see so much human milk at once! The American Academy of Pediatricians…
Read MoreWhat Does Natural Birth Mean to You?
What do you think? After teaching natural childbirth classes for twenty-four years, I’ve learned that natural birth means different things to different people. Was my four hour Pitocin induced labor a natural birth, because I had no pain medications? Or only my two hour homebirth which my midwives barely made? I once asked my natural…
Read MoreCervical Exams: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
“Is this something I have to do?” my childbirth students frequently ask me about cervical exams. The short answer is no. Especially in teaching hospitals, women are often examined in labor frequently, without even knowing why. The most important question to ask when considering an exam, like any other test, is “What will we do…
Read MoreLower Your Postpartum Stress
Ask for what you need. This is often difficult for new parents, but if friends and family offer to help, ask them for specific favors. Do you need someone to vacuum, pick up items at the grocery store, or fold laundry? Can a different person bring you dinner for a week or two? Tell visitors…
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