Blog
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The Real Reason for a Birth Plan
Birth plans are a list of preferences for labor and birth. They can be simple or very fancy with pictures like the ones Milli Hill has created. It can be just a few requests or a very long list. It really depends on the person. The purpose of a birth plan seems pretty straight forward but I would like to talk about a less obvious reason for making one.
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Food For Thought series: Bioavailability
Here’s a scenario:
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You’re pregnant (Congrats)! You’re eating all the healthy food, that should be enough, right? However after a blood panel is run by your midwife you are surprised to find you are lacking in some key nutrients. This is a pretty common story in real life. -
Postpartum Series: Afterpains
So after hours of contractions and the birthing and the hullabaloo once the baby came and then the placenta finally makes her appearance, you’re all settled into bed with ice cream and life is good. Thank heavens that’s all over!Well surprise! It’s not.
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Home Birth Check List
I’ve been noticing in The Netherlands midwives are telling clients that all they need for their home birth is the Kraampakket but then at the birth they are asking for a lot more than what is inside the kraampakket.
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Stemming in Labor
A Mental Place Called Laborland
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In labor, women do all kinds of things they wouldn’t ordinarily do. They are in a different head space than usual; a mental place called Laborland. A lot of the things they get up to can be classified as Stemming as they are purely responding to the needs of their body. -
Food For Thought series: Food Diary
When I was pregnant with my second child in Pennsylvania, I was asked in my midwife’s intake paperwork to keep a food diary for three days. I was confused and slightly intimidated. But I did it anyway. I feel like I learned so much about my habits just by writing down what I ate and when. In the end, I am not sure that my midwife even looked at it but I am glad she asked me to do it.
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Lower Your Stress Hormones in Two Minutes
I had to watch a TEDx video for my Childbirth Educator class about non verbal communication. The topic was how a life hack that is simple and has been scientifically proven to make us feel more confident, empowered, and less stressed. It involved assuming a ‘powerful’ pose for two minutes. It works by raising Testosterone and lowering Cortisol. You can watch the TEDx video here: https://www.ted.com/talks/amy_cuddy_your_body_language_may_shape_who_you_are/transcript?language=en
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Postpartum Series: Kraamverzorgers and Postpartum Doulas
The least talked about part of pregnancy is what comes after- the Postpartum period. I know we are all busy trying to prepare for a new baby and the birth itself (don’t forget managing the pregnancy) but we can’t overlook ourselves in the postpartum. Which is why as a doula I spend time prenatally with clients helping them understand and plan for what is to come. And now I have created this series to discuss the realities of life in the Postpartum. I would like to start this series discussing the Kraamzorg service and Postpartum Doulas.
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The Rocking Chair
I bet when you think of a rocking chair you envision soothing a baby with it. But did you know that in the US once upon a time it was very popular to rock in a rocking chair during labor? Women still use it today; it’s just not as common with all the other, more assisted ways of pain relief. But I think we should really bring it back.
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Birth - A Family Affiar?
Do children belong at a birth?
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