Pregnancy & Birth
With Woman
It is anticipation, flutters and quickening. Life and growth and unparalleled beauty. It is squeals and coos, wriggles and dimples. Hanging scales with tiny feet peeking through. It is knowledge and wisdom, training and practice. Books and research, instinct and reason. It is squatting and reaching, twisting and folding, meeting a mother and her baby right…
Read MoreMy Greatest Fear
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?’ Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God.…
Read More5 Things Midwives, Doulas, and Postpartum Moms Love
As I was in the shower today, after two births in 24 hours–one in the hospital as a doula, the other at home as a student midwife–I was appreciating the perfect temperature of the water, the smell of my shampoo, and the utterly clean feeling I had when I stepped out onto the mat. I…
Read MoreGrace Under Pregnancy: Responding to Horror Stories
We’ve all heard the horror stories. The homebirth turned cesarean. The induction gone wrong. The horrible hemorrhage. Cracked and bleeding nipples. Breastfeeding sabotaged by circumstances. And more. There is almost a compulsion to tell these stories, and we are often left feeling a little dazed as we walk away. These are valid experiences, but hard…
Read MoreA Doula For The Dying, Part 2: 5 More things I learned while doulaing my dying father.
When I set out to be by my father’s side in 2012, I had no idea what to expect. My sister and I both lived in Colorado Springs, so naturally we caravaned to Oregon together. We talked about it a lot. What would we have to do? How would we help our mom? This was…
Read MoreA Doula For The Dying: 5 Things I Learned at My Father’s Deathbed
Almost three years ago, I packed up my four children and drove to Oregon to help care for my father. His melanoma had metastasized to his spinal fluid, and everything that could be thrown at it to kill it, had been. There was nothing left, but to wait. Probably only weeks were left. His decline…
Read MoreGrace Under Pregnancy: Responding to Negativity
We’ve all seen those blog posts listing all the hilarious, snarky retorts we can have at our disposal when well-intentioned people make comments about our pregnancy, parenting, or birth choices. There is definitely a place for a well-placed one-liner, but not everyone will see the joke. Those remarks are most often only appreciated in theory,…
Read MoreDo’s and Don’ts in Labor & Delivery (a.k.a. Getting What You Want, Kindly)
Birth plans. Epidurals. Natural Childbirth. Doulas. Induction. Cesareans. And more… The list of decisions about birth goes on and on… More women are becoming dissatisfied with the status quo in American maternity care, and are asking for something outside the norm for the hospital where they plan give birth. Naturally, this might make for some…
Read MoreStudent Midwives Learning
The skills needed to become a competent midwife are seemingly infinite. There doesn’t seem to be an end to what we need to learn, academically and practically speaking. The academic part is relatively easy. It comes from reading, study groups, online student midwife chats, watching videos, and good mentors. Where does the practical side come…
Read MoreHomebirth: The Basics.
General Information What Home Birth Is Really Like: Dispelling a few myths and answering a few common questions. Homebirth Dads: The Dad’s perspective on homebirthing. Is Homebirth for You? Citizens for Midwifery Business of Being Born Gentle Birth Homebirth: A Midwife Mutiny Ina May Gaskin: Author, Activist, Innovater Midwifery Today The Safety of Homebirth Perinatal…
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