Pregnancy & Birth
Motherhood
Pregnancy & Birth
June 27, 2022
Having a baby is a beautiful and exciting stage of anyone’s life. However, it can be taxing emotionally and physically for your partner. We can read all the books and attend all the courses, but sometimes there are just the things no one tells you. Your partner will need all the help they can get, but sometimes it can be hard to know how exactly to help them. Here are a few ways that you might be able to help your partner after they give birth.
Caring for Your Partner During Labor and Delivery
Get drinks or ice from the machine - If you are having a hospital birth, chances are your partner won't be able to eat solid foods. Ice is always a welcome alternative to water as a change in texture.
Remind the partner to drink water - "Your body needs to be nourished and in top condition before and during the race. Days leading up to the marathon, long-distance runners will load up so they don’t run famished on the day of the race. And most importantly, marathoners are hydrated throughout the race....The
Motherhood
Pregnancy & Birth
December 21, 2017
So you're having a baby. It's such an exciting time! Your due date is getting closer, and you've packed and unpacked your hospital bag more times than you can count- folding and refolding that first, cute outfit for baby to wear home, tiny socks, a nightgown for you...but what do you really need? How do you pack for something you've never experienced before? If you're like many parents it can all seem a little overwhelming. Today I wanted to share five things I'm glad I brought along (or wished I brought along!) for each of my three children's births.
Comfortable pajamas. This was only something I packed with my third baby, and I was so happy I did. It was a wonderful, refreshing feeling to put on comfortable (nursing friendly) pjs after taking a shower at the hospital. I brought this set along from Target. In the past, I had always just worn the hospital gown but I actually found these button front pajamas a much easier choice for nursing and just feeling good while in recovery.
Motherhood
Pregnancy & Birth
December 19, 2017
Body image is an issue that’s really close to my heart and I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how it affects new moms. It seems to me that women’s feelings about their postpartum bodies often get overlooked, likely because there’s rarely discussion about it. To start the conversation, I reached out to my amazing community of women, “Hey mama friends, I'm writing a piece about embracing your beautiful postpartum body. Would love to hear your experience!” The poignant, real responses I received from my friends made me cry. I chatted with each of them, thanking them for their honesty and asked if it would be okay to share their stories. They all graciously agreed. In the words of my pal Lindsey, “Anything in the name of female empowerment.” I’m so honored to share their strength, humor, and open-heartedness with you.
Lindsey
I think the first step is just like the first step in any change - acknowledging that your body is different and that it’s okay to hate it. It’s okay to hate your stretch
Motherhood
Pregnancy & Birth
May 19, 2017
Being an IBCLC is more than making sure that babies get their mama's breast milk. There's a very nurturing side to many of us that are in this profession. Someone asked me what I do as a postpartum doula and Lactation Consultant. It didn't take me long to write a list of the things I do. I dedicate this to all the mama's and babies I've worked with... I massage the feet of an exhausted mama desperately needing a gentle touch I hold a straw steady for a mama breastfeeding her twins to quench her thirst because her hands are occupied I catch falling tears from faces of new mamas that don't think they can make it through the night I give reassuring glances to nervous fathers and encourage them to stay present I listen, without judgement, to the woman that explains why she stays in an unhappy relationship I defy culture in the context of parenting and teach mothers to use instinct rather than google I help women make peace with their vaginas and not be ashamed of their womanhood and femininity
Motherhood
Pregnancy & Birth
May 03, 2017
1. Be Open Minded Expectant parents have a lot on their plates. From researching and interviewing pediatricians, to reading about the stages of pregnancy and development, and then everything in between, it’s easy to see how overwhelming and stressful it can be to bring new life into the world. Oftentimes new moms and dads blaze their way into parenthood with a solid set of principles in mind. While these principles often have nothing to do with those of us on the outside, our responses to them can make a new parent feel guilty or “wrong” for choosing what they did. It’s vital for the support people to listen to the mother and validate her thoughts and fears while reassuring her that the decisions she’s making for her family need only be what’s best for them, not anyone else.
2. Be Supportive of Deviations in Their Plan
Things don’t always go according to plan, and that can sometimes leave new moms feeling lost or defeated. Perhaps mom had planned for a home birth but was later
Motherhood
Pregnancy & Birth
March 03, 2017
Patiently awaiting the arrival of your new bundle of joy can often be easier said than done. Many soon-to-be moms in their third trimester are more than ready to have their baby join them on the outside of the womb. But how will you ensure you’re prepared to bring that baby home and have as smooth of a transition as possible? I’m going to tell you exactly how with these 5 Nesting Tips for First Time Moms.
Pack Your Hospital Bag EARLY
Don’t wait until the last minute to gather all of your gear to head to the hospital! Ensure you’re cool, calm, and collected (at least as much as possible) by creating a list of everything you want to take with you, and have those bags packed and placed in the trunk of your car by 35 weeks. Don’t forget stuff for your partner, too! You never know when you might go into labor, so it’s best to have your bags somewhere close by at all times. Not sure what to pack? Here’s a great list of things you might consider.
Embrace Freezer Meals
It’s not rare for eating
Motherhood
Pregnancy & Birth
February 01, 2016
Congratulations! You’re going to be a Mama! Have you been feeling the urge to tackle the garage clutter? Clean out the attic? Organize everything in your house? Guess what - you’re nesting! The nesting instinct is a primal instinct that goes back thousands of years. It’s nature’s way of helping you feel confident and ready to protect, nurture and welcome a child into your home. While this can be a productive moment to accomplish great things — like taking a birthing class, decorating your nursery or organizing your house —it is also important not to get too overwhelmed and stressed out. Remember, your baby doesn’t care if you haven’t organized your sock drawer.
Getting Ready For Baby
A great way for you to have some control and knowledge about what is to come is to educate yourself and make your plans known. While the urge to scrub clean all the grout in your entire house may be strong, take some time and make a list of the highest priority items that you feel must be accomplished
Motherhood
Pregnancy & Birth
May 27, 2015
As part of our "Ask the Expert” series, where you can ask our resident experts about a variety of baby-related topics, our friend, doula, and founder of Loom, was able to answer your family’s questions about a healthy pregnancy. Here are the questions you asked and answers below.
Any clue what might cause one's water to break but labor not begin? I'd like to avoid this next go around.
First off let me state that I'm not a medical provider, so my approach advice will stem from a therapeutic and experiential standpoint. It's hard to pinpoint why the water may break without immediate onset of regular contractions, it could happen for a number of reasons. However when your water breaks, the first thing to do is to note the time, check the color ( should be clear), the amount ( trickle or gush) and odor ( there should be none) -- if those elements are noted and in the clear and you checked in with you care provider and they've give you the clear to stay at home until contractions/surges
Motherhood
Pregnancy & Birth
May 12, 2015
We were so happy our resident midwife & acupuncturist, Elizabeth Bachner was able to answer your family’s questions about birth plans. Here are the questions you asked and answers below.
What is the point of a birth plan?
Gone are the days around the thinking that a birth plan is something you write up to tell your care provider what you want to magically happen at your birth. A birth plan is an exploration, a journey into understanding who you are as parents. It encourages a conversation with your care provider so you can find out if you are both be on the same page, what his/her boundaries are and whether or not he/she is practicing evidence based medicine. It is a flexible list of ideals in a low risk situation, your informed consent or refusal of state mandated vaccinations and tests, a list of who will be in the room and their role, as well as any other important information you wish to communicate to the birth staff.
See the full thread and related questions and answers here
Motherhood
Pregnancy & Birth
April 09, 2015
Should you have a birth plan? If so, what should it look like? Our resident midwife and acupuncturist, Elizabeth Bachner from Gracefull Birthing and Best Ever Baby joins us on Tuesday 4/14 at 10am PST for an "Ask the Expert" chat about birth plans. Post your birth plan questions on our Facebook wall then join us on our Facebook page for the chat on Tuesday! Sign up below to be eligible for prizes.
Tuesday 4/14 at 10:00am PST
For more than a decade, Elizabeth has practiced midwifery, expertly combining her diverse body of skills in pre and perinatal psychology, acupuncture and communications to passionately educate and inspire women to understand their bodies and birth experiences. With a degree in Child Psychology from Tufts University, Elizabeth is uniquely in tune with the full spectrum of family needs around birth and baby planning. In addition to serving Los Angeles based families as a practicing midwife - both at home and in her well established Silver Lake Birthing Center: GraceFull