Birth and Breastfeeding: Looking Back as We Ring in the New Year
I’ve been thinking about the passage of time as we slip into a new decade. I was a doula at my first birth in 1992; that baby recently turned 27. The same year I started teaching prenatal classes for what was then Harvard Community Health Plan; I taught families there for 25 years until they…
Read MoreCord Clamping: Worth the Wait
Did you know that when your baby is born, 30% of his or her blood will still be in the placenta? Waiting to clamp and cut the cord will allow your baby to receive this vital blood. Babies who get delayed cord clamping, or as it is now being called, appropriately timed cord clamping, have…
Read MoreContinuing Education for Birth Professionals
Join us on Sunday September 17 for a day of learning, networking, and fun in Westford, MA. We will be talking about business and marketing, chiropractic care for better pregnancy, birth, and breastfeeding outcomes, natural hospital birth, and preventing burnout with self-care. 6.5 CAPPA CEUS available for those who attend all sessions. 9-10:15 Chiropractic Care…
Read MoreThe Why and What of Natural Childbirth
Anesthesia was first used for birth in 1847, 170 years, or roughly seven generations ago. In response to this, Grantly Dick Read coined the term natural childbirth in the 1940’s. Before that it was just called birth, like organic food was just called food before Lord Northbourne coined the term organic around the same time.…
Read MoreWellPregancy Continuing Ed. Day for Mother-Baby Professionals
Join us on Saturday April 22 for a day of learning, networking, and fun in Westford, MA. We will be talking about business and marketing, prenatal depression, natural hospital birth, and preventing burnout with self-care. 6.5 CAPPA CEUS available for those who attend all sessions. 9-10:00 Prenatal Mental Health: What All Perinatal Professionals Need to…
Read MoreNitrous Oxide in Labor and the Precautionary Principle
An increasing number of hospitals in the United States have begun offering nitrous oxide to women in labor since the FDA approved new equipment for use in labor in 2011. In the Boston area where I am, Brigham and Women’s Hospital started offering it nearly two years ago, and then other hospitals, including South Shore,…
Read MoreWhy You Can’t Spoil Your New Baby
Your newborn’s wants and needs are the same. Later she may want a smart phone or a pony, and you’ll have to decide if that’s reasonable, but for now, if you can figure out what she wants you always get to give it to her. Your baby’s behavior will make more sense if you think…
Read MoreFive Tips for Transitioning in Labor from Home to Birth Center or Hospital
Make sure you have your labor bag with you in the car (not the trunk) so you have access to your pillows, snacks, drinks, music, focal point, etc. Have a hot water bottle or ice pack handy. Since moving around and changing positions in labor makes labor easier, sitting seat belted into your seat during the…
Read More10 Things I Wish All Pregnant Women Knew About Fetal Monitoring
In labor, continuous monitoring increases the risks of many interventions, including pitocin, epidurals, and cesarean birth, without improving birth outcomes for mother or baby. Asking a woman in labor to be still (and often in bed) so the monitor can do its job is not a benign request since it can result in a longer…
Read MoreEarly Labor is a Time for Distractions
Have you thought about what you’re going to do in early labor? A friend of mine who is a midwife suggests baking cookies in early labor. I think this is excellent advice. First of all, then there will be cookies. But also, having a fun activity will help you pass the time in early labor.…
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