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
Newborn metabolic screening (NBS) started with Dr. Bob Guthrie, father of 6 and a researcher in 1950s NY. After his son was born with a developmental delay, Guthrie became a patient advocate. Through advocacy, Guthrie met Dr. Robert Warner, who told Guthrie about phenylketonuria (PKU), a disorder that caused thousands of cases of intellectual disability… Continue reading Testing Tuesdays: The Newborn Metabolic Screen (A.K.A. The Heel Poke Screen or the PKU Screen)
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
(The phrase "gender reveal" has become a popular way of saying, "to find out whether your baby is a boy or a girl." However, a baby's genitalia at birth is actually its assigned "sex," with "gender" being a social construct that the baby may or may not identify with later in life. It is also… Continue reading Finding out the Fetal Sex, Or Not, and Why I Hope We Can All Just Relax
Photo by Hana Souther When baby is born, the first question is often, “How much does baby weigh?!” We don’t know yet, because we don’t weigh the baby until we weigh the baby! When baby is transitioning well, there’s no reason to take them away for an immediate exam. Skin-to-skin in the first hour is… Continue reading Testing Tuesdays: The Newborn Exam
Gestational Rage 