just one midwife's opinion
Photography: Daniela Rey Awareness around tongue/lip ties and breastfeeding problems has increased recently, but there’s still confusion. In 2015 I shadowed Bobby Ghaheri, ENT on a day of revisions. I learned I’m not qualified to diagnose and treat ties. Many aren’t. I’ve heard midwives, peds, and even some LCs state that baby has no tie… Continue reading Testing Tuesdays: Tongue and Lip Ties
You know what’s super fun as a midwife? Watching both parents work as a team to meet their baby. The laboring person tells us what they need. The partner shows up creatively and intentionally, despite being nervous or feeling a little lost. Laboring Together is a specialized intensive for couples who desire an unmedicated birth… Continue reading November 2nd, 2019: LABORING TOGETHER
My mom got her MA in speech pathology when I was little and she took me to school with her to save on childcare. Having seen so many kids and adults struggle with speech disorders, I feel extra passionate about referring my clients for hearing screens. Baby begins to use sound as soon as they… Continue reading Testing Tuesdays: Newborn Hearing Screening
In utero, baby’s blood is lower in oxygen than adults. Baby compensates brilliantly by making extra red blood cells to better deliver oxygen to tissues. This system insures that the pregnant parent has plenty of oxygen to keep their body healthy during pregnancy, too. When baby is born and breathes room air, the extra red blood… Continue reading Testing Tuesdays: Newborn Jaundice
It’s normal for babies to lose weight after birth. We weigh baby a few times during the first week to make sure baby hasn’t lost too much. The nadir of loss hits around 48-72 hours. Loss up to 10% is ok. Losing more doesn’t mean you are failing or baby is starving, just that you… Continue reading Testing Tuesdays: Newborn Weight Checks
With Lauren Archer from Love of a Little One CCHDs (critical congenital heart defects) are serious heart problems present from birth. CCHDs affect how the blood flows in and out of the heart. In the US, 18 out of every 10,000 babies are born with a CCHD, adding up to over 7,000 babies a year. … Continue reading Testing Tuesdays: The CCHD Screen
With Lauren Archer from Love of a Little One For parents of a healthy, term newborn, the Vitamin K shot tends to give parents a lot of worry. Here’s some info: The placenta won’t provide much K to your baby, breast milk is low in K, and baby doesn’t have the gut bacteria to make… Continue reading Testing Tuesdays: The Vitamin K Shot
"OHMYGODIWANTTOPUUUUUUUSH!!!!" This was Zoey's second baby and second planned home birth. She was 37 years old, had an uncomplicated pregnancy, and had been in fairly meandering labor - contractions maybe 4-5 minutes apart, at their most frequent, since 2 AM. Her last cervical check, at 4 AM, had her at 4 cm. Her sudden announcement… Continue reading The Beautiful and Mysterious Resting Phase
Long Labors, Part 3: Psychosocial Strategies, is a follow-up and final installment to Long Labors, Parts I and 2. Meredith Westin Photography When a client is having a very long labor, I tend to assume mechanical challenges are the direct cause and problem-solve on that basis, first. Many emotional and spiritual forces can arise during… Continue reading Long Labors, Part 3: Psychosocial Strategies
Meredith Westin Photography Long Labors: Part 2 is a follow-up to Long Labors, Part I. We don't need to feel entirely helpless when labor lasts a long time. The following physical strategies can help shift challenging labor patterns and keep a person's strength up: Consider that you may not be in labor at all. Start-and-stop contractions… Continue reading Long Labors: Part 2, Physiologic Strategies
Gestational Rage 