In the process of creating a birth plan, many new parents are surprised at how many choices and options are available to them. One of those options is delaying baby’s first bath. You may not have even thought about this before now and you may be wondering why anyone would ever want to delay cleaning
Tag Archives: pregnancy
Three Tips for Surviving Each Trimester
Pregnancy is typically pretty uncomfortable and depending on where you’re at in your pregnancy you may be facing nausea, leg cramps, or an annoyingly itchy belly. In our childbirth education series we discuss many of these common “pregnancy complaints”. We also talk about when to expect them, why they happen, and what you can do
Five Questions Never to Ask
We have all probably heard one (or more) of these asked, or maybe we’ve asked them ourselves. After being a parent and working with pregnant individuals and families, we’ve learned which questions should never be asked. So, let’s make life a little more pleasant for everybody and just ban a few questions from our conversation–don’t
Choosing a Breast Pump
The First Pumps The first breast pumps were patented in the mid-19th century and designed to treat inverted nipples or to help babies who were incapable of nursing. But breast pumps have only been widely available to regular consumers for about twenty years; Medela released its first electric pump for in-home use in 1991. Before
Our Favorite Hormone
It is commonly referred to as the “love hormone” or “cuddle hormone” because it is released when snuggling with a loved one or a pet, during sex and in the throes of a new relationship. But such names simplify the effect of a very important hormone: oxytocin. What it Does In our childbirth education classes,
“OMG, I’d never do that…”
Never is a very powerful word, and one that most people tend to use a lot before they become parents. “I would NEVER get an epidural.” “I would NEVER let my child sleep in my bed.” “I will NEVER talk to my children the way my mother talked to me.” Sometimes we are able to
Get Moving!
The traditional TV and movie trope of a woman in labor inevitably shows her flat on her back in bed, struggling through the arduous task. But many women find movement during labor to be very helpful in reducing pain and shortening labor. Why does movement help and how can we maximize the amount we move?
Need a Jump?
As we discussed earlier, due dates are largely meaningless, so a lot of moms find themselves reaching their long-anticipated due date with no baby in sight! Some are able to let baby come on his or her own terms, but others might have personal or medical reasons for wanting to hurry the process on a
No Need to Be Embarrassed
Perhaps one of the most annoying pregnancy or postpartum nuisances, hemorrhoids affect around 50% of all pregnant people and there’s no need to be embarassed about asking for help dealing with them. Hemorrhoids are swollen veins in your anus and lower rectum which are similar to varicose veins. Hemorrhoids have a number of causes and