postpartum

Thought provoking piece on the Doula-As-Savior Myth, with perspective from both the birth professional and the client.

A form of pain relief for labor that is very common elsewhere in the world might be making an appearance in your neighborhood soon. Well, it probably already is in your local dentist’s office, but will you be seeing it in labor and delivery any time soon? Laughing Gas for Labor?

An interesting look at why hospitals have varying cesarean rates. It’s not simply risk level or population, but the culture of the hospital as well.

While there is no doubt that most women do feel pain during birth – sometimes significant pain – I don’t agree that childbirth pain is the worst pain possible. In fact, here are 8 things that women say hurt worse than childbirth. I love that “induced labor” is on the list. Because it is a whole different animal than a spontaneous labor.

We often think of sitting on the birth ball, or maybe leaning over it. But there is so much more. 5 Great Ways to Use a Birth Ball.

A lovely first person account of coming back and feeling normal again after postpartum depression.

Today’s video is a 3D animation of how a baby develops in the womb. Very interesting to see how the baby looks and changes as it grows:

This is a beautiful description of doula work.

Here’s a nontraditional labor technique: Look Like a Pirate!

A funny way to think about all the advice you’ll get about parenting. Not sure I’d advocate her methods, but it will probably make you laugh!

The photographer in me loves seeing the beauty of motherhood captured realistically.

Can you handle more photography-meets-parenthood? Project Breastfeeding uses professional portraits of actual nursing moms and their families to normalize breastfeeding.

An interesting discussion of personal choice, autonomy and legal risk.

In a world where parenting meets Pinterest, I loved this article reminding moms that their mothering does not need to be “Pinteresting” – just loving and caring.

Think carefully about how you identify yourself as a mother. If you define yourself too much by the way you parent your baby, what happens when your baby outgrows your “cloth-diapering, breastfeeding mom” label?

Today, instead of a video, I have a song for you. A new parent’s version of “Royals” by Lourde:

It’s Christmas Day! Thanks to the magic of scheduled posting, I am able to post this and still celebrate the day with my family. If you’re celebrating, too, hope it is a good one!

This week also makes one full year I’ve been doing the Wednesday Wrap Up! I am a little amazed that I kept it up.

If you are pregnant or planning to be pregnant, you might want to participate in this study on childbirth preferences conducted by the Maternal Quality of Care Indicator (MQI) Working Group. It’s an online survey estimated to take less than 15 minutes.

I wonder what advice of today might be similarly mocked in a couple hundred years…. 12 Terrible Pieces of Advice for Pregnant Women

If the idea of home birth appeals to you, but for whatever reason a hospital birth is in your future, you might appraciate these 10 Home Birth Lessons for the Hospital.

Today’s video was a bit of an obvious choice: The 12 Days of Christmas, Midwife Style!

Inspiring collection of “big baby” birth stories. The Big Baby Project

Hospitals charging $6000 *more* for a spontaneous labor? It happened to this Denver couple!

What a clever, clever idea for a fundraising calendar! Home Birth Dads

Why I NEVER wanted a birth photographer – loved this article from a mom who “accidentally” hired a birth photographer – and loved it!

Some of the locations are a bit off from what I would expect (Rebozos are NOT from Iceland!) but this is still a good list of ways women manage labor pain around the world.

A chiropractor looks at his view of the difference between babywearing and car seat carrying.

Interesting – boys and girls may get different breastmilk.

It’s not even in English, but this short commercial tells a lovely story about parenthood!

Because 16 years ago today I learned how strong I was when I gave birth unmedicated for the first time, I thought I’d share a link to my own birth story: Callie’s Birth

Loved reading this article on male doulas. Never understood why anyone would think it was OK to dismiss an entire gender from a career. Would outrage people if someone said “Women can’t be {insert any profession here}” – so why do it to men?

Interesting discussion on how maternal diet can impact babies. I was a little disturbed by the headline – as the study seemed to say that GOOD habits can be passed on as well. (But the whole “mother-blaming-and-shaming” phenomenon is a rant for another post.) I remember reading a similar article about horses years ago when my oldest daughter was a horse-obsessed tween who subscribed to Young Rider. She brought it to me and told me I needed to read this article about horse breastfeeding and how horses learned which plants were safe to eat based on what was a familiar taste from breast milk. Remove a “safe” food from the nursing mom’s diet, and the foal will forever refuse to eat it! Ah…memories (and sorry for the tangent…)

I sometimes hear from moms a few weeks or months after the birth. Speaking in a whisper, they will confess that they have had thoughts that disturb them. Thoughts that they feel guilty for having. Thoughts that won’t go away. It’s far more common than most people realize, because nobody talks about it. Here’s a great article on it, and what to do if the thoughts become obsessive or intrusive.

This is what happens when birthy people make gingerbread people.

Today’s video is a birth film by my friend Kalli of Kalimana Films. Kallli is originally from Utah but is based in Murfreesboro TN now. It is a happy cesarean birth with the cutest big sister EVER. I love the moment of her giving the new baby a kiss and talking on the phone to announce her sister’s birth. To see more, follow her on her Facebook Page!

Choosing a nursing bra can be hard. I always emphasize that a bra that you can open and close with one hand (because you’ll have a baby in your other arm) is crucial. This article addresses the 5 biggest mistakes women make when buying a nursing bra.

My friend Morag Hastings teamed up with Birth Without Fear to show the gradual emergence of a crowning baby. So generous of this first time mom to share these images!

Love seeing advice like this in the mainstream media!

“How in the world could she not know?” is a common comment after hearing stories like these:
Kendra Reid Gives Birth Without Knowing She Was Pregnant
Don’t you hate it when you’re training for a big race and you unexpectedly have a baby?
Mom of Twins Didn’t Know She was Pregnant Until One Baby Came Out

I’ve always just replied that denial can be a powerful, powerful thing. In this article, Kathy Morelli outlines one possible reason mom might not be conscious of her pregnancy.

If you’re looking for an uplifting read, check out Tell Me A Good Birth Story.

Loved this article on How to Care for a Woman Who Has Had A C-section. – very respectful and practical.

Today’s video is a biography of a pioneering nurse midwife from South Carolina, Maude Callen: