Demystifying Labor Induction
Common sense dictates that there is no single universal length of complete gestation. Rather, there's a normal range during which a healthy pregnant person will spontaneously go into labor.
A plan implies that if we just make the right choices and feel really strongly about those choices, then we can control what happens during birth. I offer another approach.
Working with an herbalist in my 20’s completely changed my expectations for healthcare, and shaped how I approach midwifery. How would it feel to sit down with your ideal healthcare provider?
You wouldn’t go on a second date with a guy who didn’t listen to you, or belittled you, or made you feel like he didn’t have time for you. Why would you go to a second prenatal appointment with a provider who makes you feel that way?
Elderberry syrup is a great, tasty, and simple way to fortify our immune systems in the winter. It’s easy to make at home!
Hello New Jersey!
Everything I do, everything I cultivate about myself and in my community, is about being of service, and becoming more resilient, more flexible and adaptable…
A Holistic Approach to Cesarean Healing
Healing from a cesarean adds a new dimension to postpartum care. Here I offer my approach, which considers folks’ lifelong wellness.
Vitamin D in Pregnancy
Obstetric providers rarely check for this crucial nutrient, and yet low levels of Vitamin D are linked to various serious complications of pregnancy.
Immune Support in Pregnancy
Tis the season. Hit bugs hard with this pregnancy-safe immunity protocol, or shore up your immune system to deal with everything that's out to get you.
Fear is the Mind-Killer
"I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain."
First Trimester Thoughts
Nope, I'm not pregnant. I'm wrapping up the first three months of my midwifery apprenticeship at the Concord Birth Center and wanted to take a moment to consciously reflect on what it's been like and what I've learned.
Recent research suggests that supplementing with probiotics in pregnancy can minimize GBS colonization.
Next month I begin a busy midwifery apprenticeship, with my eyes on my own home birth practice in 2019. If I told myself six years ago that this was the path I was on, I would never have believed it.
Being pregnant during periods of anxiety, grief, and anger can be complicated. We know that the stress that we experience in pregnancy is also experienced by our babies. Cultural traditions worldwide recommend that pregnant women not look at or think about upsetting things. Unfortunately, that's not the reality that we live in, or that of many of our sisters around the globe.
Obstetricians practicing in the United States are influenced by ACOG statements and practice bulletins, and it's important that parents familiarize themselves with the recent position changes that are relevant to birth, choice, and justice.
Your liver performs hundreds of metabolic functions—that is, the processes our bodies perform to maintain life. These roles include detoxifying waste products of digestion, environmental toxins and chemicals, and clearing hormones from the body (which is so important for our fertility).
Did you know that bacteria outnumber your human cells by about 9:1? Yup. We are more bacterial than human, by far.
A Muslim woman recently asked for some general pointers for birth, and I want to share it with all women and people who are pregnant and just starting to try to make sense of all the information out there. This one especially goes out to my Muslim sisters.
Resources for Vaginal Birth After Cesarean (VBAC)
Last night, my friend Shannon Staloch and I hosted our third conference call Q&A on birth. We focused on VBAC--vaginal birth after cesarean--and heard from a special guest, Muneera Fontaine.