Camila Alves' Post-Baby Tradition Puts Moms First

"Camila believes in what Brazilians call "quarentena." It's actually practiced all over the world. What it means is that the mother spends time restoring her health and bonding with her baby for a little over a month. For Camila, it was 40 days."

March of Dimes: 'Healthy babies are worth the wait'

TONS of great statistics in this one that confirm once again that our bodies know what they are doing when it comes to when to birth our babies.

"Although tests may show that the baby's lungs are well developed at, say, 37 weeks, research has demonstrated that the risk of newborn complications is still significantly higher than if delivery occurs two to three weeks later. In a study published last December of babies demonstrated to have mature lungs before birth, those delivered at 36-38 weeks had 2.5 times the number of complications compared with those delivered at 39-40 weeks. Problems more common among babies delivered earlier in gestation included respiratory distress, jaundice and low blood sugar."

'"Babies aren't fully developed until at least 39 weeks," Lackritz told a news briefing in New York convened by the March of Dimes. For example, a baby's brain at 35 weeks gestation weighs only two-thirds of what it will weigh at 39-40 weeks."

Ultrasound Diagnosis of Fetal Macrosomia (large baby) Found Inaccurate

"Ultrasound-estimated fetal weight "is not very accurate, and we have to counsel patients on that, when they come to ultrasounds and they are worried that they are going to have this [enormous] monstrosity of a baby," lead investigator Dr. Alese Wagner said in an interview. "You can tell them [that] most of the time, we are off."'

"The mode of delivery was cesarean section in 66% of the pregnancies, compared with just 29% of all pregnancies in Calgary during the same period. "So it’s [more than] double, the percentage who are getting C-sections, on what is [an inaccurate weight]," said Dr. Wagner."

Stigma Hinders Treatment For Postpartum Depression

If you think you may be suffering from PPD, don't be afraid to ask for help and KEEP asking till you find someone willing to find the root of the problem.

Baby's Palate And Food Memories Shaped Before Birth

"Each individual baby is having their own unique experience, it's changing from hour to hour, from day to day, from month to month," says Mennella. "As a stimulus it's providing so much information to that baby about who they are as a family and what are the foods their family enjoys and appreciates."

Miracle of baby boy born full term despite his mother's waters breaking at just 16 WEEKS

"She said: 'Doctors do a great job but they can only advise you based on what they know and they do not always have the answers.

'If I had not believed in Charlie I would have given up and he would not be here today.'"

Leg Cramps in Pregnancy

This article has a few effective way to deal with leg cramps that seem inevitable during pregnancy. Taking a calcium/magnesium supplement before bed was my magic ticket away from waking up with leg cramps. Here is my go to product: http://public.shaklee.guided.a​tomz.com/?q=osteo+matrix&x=0&y​=0

OBGYN v. Midwife (level of care comparison)

Pros and Cons of 11 Common Labor Positions

Fall Series!!!

The Big Latch On

Mark your calendars! To celebrate World Breastfeeding Week this year, our Rochester La Leche League is gathering breastfeeding mothers and their families. We will meet at Three Links Shelter- Silver Lake Park, Rochester, MN, Saturday, August 6th. The Big Latch On (www.biglatchon.org) is a nationwide event trying to break the record of number of women breastfeeding simultaneously at 10:30am. Come at least 30min prior to register and get settled (bring a blanket or chair). We will count down to 10:30 and then officially record the number nursing for at least 1 minute.

We will have beverages, story time, and fun for the whole family. While this isn't an official potluck, feel free to bring a snack to share with friends if you wish.

Photographer Jackie Mysak has volunteered to document the Big Latch On. She will also be offering a limited number of breastfeeding portrait mini-sessions following the event. See www.jackspratphotography.com for specifics and to book your spot. A portion of the proceeds will go back to support La Leche League. What a special way to commemorate this unique relationship between mother and child!

See File section for Big Latch On flyer. Please spread the word to other breastfeeding women any way you can!

We look forward to seeing you August 6th!

Dr. Robert Bradley Day!!!

On this date in 1985, after Dr. Bradley retired from his Denver medical practice, the Governor of Colorado declared May 5th as Dr. Robert A. Bradley Day. We've been celebrating every year (and each day a baby is born without medication!) ever since. Invite your friends, family, students and others to celebrate with us!

Second Opinions Save Lives

Even beginners can curb pain with meditation

Interesting topic, especially if you think about the implications of such things in labor and birth.

8 Babywearing Benefits for Everyone (even baby)

New Baby!!!

Congratulations to couple #19 on the birth of your little man!!!

Vitamin B12 intake during pregnancy 'will reduce babies' crying'

"The researchers found the women with the least amount of the nutrient in their blood had babies who were eight times more prone to crying."

Why Mothers Kiss Their Babies

"Just like an animal mother, she has now exposed her five senses to the baby so she attaches to him or her. She now feels he or she is her own. It is not unusual to find that women who are deprived of the privacy required to create this immediate bonding right after birth often say they feel a distance between them and their baby."

Have you kissed your baby today? :-)

Congratulations to couple #19 on the completion of your Bradley Method® course this evening!!! You're going to do awesome and I can't wait to meet your little one and hear your story. :-)

10 Ways Dads Can Help Ensure Breastfeeding Success

"While a dad can't breastfeed (no matter how much we wish he could), he does play a large part in a mom's breastfeeding journey."

AMC receives prestigious international award for achieving Baby-Friendly designation - the first medical center in Minnesota

Too Many Babies Are Delivered Too Early: Hospitals Should Just Say No Read more: http://healthland.time.com/2011/01/31/too-many-babies-are-delivered-

Pregnancy lasts 40 weeks for a reason. At 35 weeks, a baby's brain tips the scales at just two-thirds of what it will weigh by weeks 39 to 40.

Read more: http://healthland.time.com/2011/01/31/too-many-babies-are-delivered-too-early-hospitals-just-say-no/#ixzz1D0qCRFxZ

The Evidence Says: Delayed Umbilical Cord Clamping is Safe

"Mother Nature covered the umbilical cord with a protective and insulating mucous tissue called Wharton’s Jelly. Wharton's jelly, when exposed to temperature and moisture differences, collapses structures within the umbilical cord and thus will provide a physiological clamping of the cord, approximately 5 minutes after birth."

Breast-Feeding Canadian Moms Create Flash Mob at Mall

Does It Pay To Buy Organic?

"We repeatedly tell patients we are not in a hurry; there are no trains to catch and we don't care when the baby comes, only how! A doctor who is in a hurry does not belong in the field of obstetrics. As my chief pointed out, 'An obstetrician should have a big rear end and the good sense to sit calmly thereupon and let nature take its course.' " - Dr. Robert A. Bradley

Written on October 18, 2010 at 10:14 pm by Birth Sense Evidence Under Fire: 10 Common Obstetric Procedures Not Supported By Science

"Following is a sampling of the current evidence regarding ten procedures commonly used in modern obstetrics despite a lack of evidence to support their use. Please note: many of these procedures are beneficial in specific situations. It is their routine use without medical indication that I am addressing."

“When you are a mother, you are never really alone in your thoughts. A mother always has to think twice, once for herself and once for her child.” – Sophia Loren

Mum gives birth in petrol station

"It all happened somewhere between the biscuits and the anti-freeze," Miss Tyler said

Birth happens, when the baby is ready, weather Mom and Dad are ready or not. I tell my students that if you find yourself in this type of a situation it usually means that there is NO reason to worry because the mother's birthing system and the baby are working PERFECTLY together and there are no problems.

Why Is ACOG So Scared of Midwives?

"Having a CPM attend your birth comes with a major benefit to taxpayers and states as well -- lower c-section rates, and lower complications result in big savings. Washington reported a savings of $2.7 million after just 2 years of use of CPMs. The Department of Health also found that over 87 percent of the time, transfer to a hospital is not required for moms or babies birthing outside the hospital with constant one-on-one care from a CPM"

Throw Your Clocks out the Window

"Instead of looking at the clock, observe the woman. Listen to her. If a dad calls me and announces the contractions are matching some formulaic expectation and I can hear the mom chatting excitedly and barely cracking a sweat during the contraction, I tell them to stay home if they can. Very often they'll call me hours later, and even though the contractions may or may not be different in terms of length and frequency, I'll hear a change. She will be vocalizing in some way, or doing some very focused breathing...her voice will sound a little far away even between the contractions. If I'm present and watching her, her motions will be slower, and more deliberate. She'll have to lean over things and sway her hips. When labour is really rocking and rolling, most women will look quite stoned between their contractions, the idea of distracting themselves by conversing or watching tv ridiculous, and there is a sense they are far away, off in labour land, and moving normally is often difficult. Plus it's aparent they are feeling some spectacularly strong sensations. For first time mothers, this is usually the time to go to the hospital, because labour has had a chance to establish itself...endorphins and oxytocin are flowing beautifully. If a woman goes to the hospital too much before this happens, it can be EXTREMELY difficult to achieve this trance-like state with all the routines and strangers asking questions, often making the labour seem longer and more painful."

Newborn Deliveries Are Scheduled Too Early, According to Hospital Watchdog Group

This is not to say that once a woman reaches 39 weeks gestation there are no longer any risks to "elective" delivery. I wholeheartedly believe that our bodies and babies know that they are doing and just as we put our trust in the natural process of labor and birth as being the safest for Mother and baby, so should we put our trust in the timing of labor to begin on it's own for the safety of Mom and baby.

"Every hospital should publicly report on their rate and actively prevent the practice, and every woman planning to give birth should demand the information,"

Hospital Rates of Early Scheduled Deliveries

"What’s going on at my hospital?
The Leapfrog Group, a non-profit organization that compares hospitals on national standards of safety and quality, asked hospitals to voluntarily report their rate of elective deliveries before 39 completed weeks of pregnancy. The hospital’s rate of elective deliveries is the percentage of non-medically indicated (without a medical reason) births between 37 and 39 weeks gestation, that were delivered by caesarean section or induction. Hospital rates of elective deliveries are listed below by state. Women should look at the rate of early elective early deliveries performed at hospital hospitals in their area and chose one that has a low rate"

36 Obvious Reasons You are Capable Of Natural Birth

Love this list!!! Sometimes we just need to be reminded. :-)

Consider the Source: An interview with Cord Clamping Researcher, Judith Mercer

Excellent information in this interview straight from the source of the research. Once again, we see that science is confirming what nature already knows. :-)

"The temptation to quit will be greatest just before you are about to succeed." --Chinese proverb

Breast-Feeding: It Takes a Village to Help Moms Succeed Read more: http://healthland.time.com/2011/01/25/breastfeeding-it-takes-a-village-to-help-mom

“The time has come to set forth the important roles and responsibilities of clinicians, employers, communities, researchers, and government leaders and to urge us all to take on a commitment to enable mothers to meet their personal goals for breast-feeding.”

Read more: http://healthland.time.com/2011/01/25/breastfeeding-it-takes-a-village-to-help-moms-succeed-says-surgeon-general/#ixzz1CAcjomxI

Post Partum Support

What You Need to Know about Induction of Labor

Flu Vaccine Linked to Infant Seizures?

"The first thing doctors will tell you about febrile seizures is they're usually completely harmless. Any parent who has witnessed one will tell you they're scary as hell, and that's not harmless to a parent's emotional well being. And is getting the flu really that much worse than enduring something like that ... not to mention any long-term effects that may be undiscovered as of yet?"

Our family has chosen to be anti-vax for personal reasons.It is YOUR baby, not the doctors. YOU are the one that has to deal with any side effects, not the doctors. YOU have way more at steak than the doctors do. Be an informed consumer. Do your own research. Make your own decisions (whatever they are) and don't just take their word for it.

I just renewed my Bradley® teacher certification! Here's to another great year, helping fantastic couples and their precious babies!!!

"With all the attention paid to your new baby, it's easy for your own feelings and needs to get lost in the shuffle. Although all parents engage in some self-sacrifice for their children, keep in mind that your goal isn't just to raise a happy, healthy child. You want that child to be part of a happy, healthy family as well," - Lawrence Kutner

Cutting food by a third in pregnancy led to fetal brain delays, according to animal study Read more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/arti

"A 30 percent reduction in food caused marked differences in how brain cells multiplied and connected with one another, with changes found in the frontal cortex, where higher functions controlling behavior and problem-solving are located, the researchers said."

“When enough women realize that birth is a time of great opportunity to get in touch with their true power, and when they are willing to assume responsibility for this, we will reclaim the power of birth and help move technology where it belongs – in the service of birthing women, not their master.” – Christiane Northrup

Miranda Kerr: I Had a Baby Boy with Orlando Bloom!

They released his name and a beautiful picture of her breastfeeding their newborn! Yay!

"I believe the act of giving birth to be the single most miraculous thing a human being can do and it is surely the moment when a lot of women finally understand the depth of their power and connection to all of nature... You think can’t possibly take the pain, and then you do - and afterward you look at yourself in a whole new way... The memory of pain always recedes. The memory of triumph does not," - Ani DiFranco

SE MN Childbirth Network presents... "A Midwife...Why?"

Find out how incorporating a midwife in your
pregnancy can be more than beneficial.

Please join us at the
Rochester Athletic Club
Thursday, February 3rd
7pm—Multipurpose Room

The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Support Breastfeeding FACT SHEET

Here is a nice list of specific things everyone can do to get involved in the call to action to support breastfeeding.

Everyone Can Help Make Breastfeeding Easier, Surgeon General Says in “Call to Action”

"According to the “Call to Action,” breastfeeding protects babies from infections and illnesses that include diarrhea, ear infections, and pneumonia. Breastfed babies are also less likely to develop asthma, and those who are breastfed for six months are less likely to become obese. Mothers themselves who breastfeed have a decreased risk of breast and ovarian cancers.

A study published last year in the journal Pediatrics estimated that the nation would save $13 billion per year in health care and other costs if 90 percent of U.S. babies were exclusively breastfed for six months. Dr. Benjamin added that, by providing accommodations for nursing mothers, employers can reduce their company’s health care costs and lower their absenteeism and turnover rates."

It's better for babies, it's better for Moms, it's better for families, it's better for employers, it's better for our health care system, it's better for our nation. Wow!!! How many things can boast that large a span of beneficiaries? Let's not say no to that.

A Touching Look at Touching

"Having been lucky enough to work with therapeutic touch in the past few years I have my own very simple explanation for what is going on; it's your inner healer dancing forward and taking over - connecting and passing on your good thoughts, intentions and a little healing to the growing life within. It is after all, mum's tum you wants to touch. There's nothing more natural than touching a pregnant woman and so people go ahead and touch her."

I never minded people touching my baby bump very much, unless it was a complete and total stranger and then it was a little weird. I totally agree though with the statement quoted above, "connecting and passing on your good thoughts, intentions and a little healing to the growing life within." I always felt intense amounts of love and good will being channeled into myself and my unborn baby when people would pat, hold and sometimes even hug my belly, and that made me feel like a stronger mother. Like somehow, with all this love and support coming from all these people toward me and my babies, I knew I could succeed and even excel at this mothering thing.

What were your reactions, experiences and feelings in regards to people wanting to touch your pregnant belly?

Laborade

Sounds like it could be a nice alternative to gatorade. What did you drink during your labor(s)?

Recall: Medela 'Pump In Style Advanced' Breast Pump

MALE SENSITIVITY....

My hubby sent this one to me this morning and it was to good not to pass along. As a childbirth educator I have never received this question before...yet. :-) Enjoy!!!

"The room was full of pregnant women with their partners. The class was
in full swing. The instructor was teaching the women how to breathe
and was telling the men how to give the necessary assurance to their
partners at this stage of the pregnancy.

She said "Ladies, remember that exercise is good for you. Walking is
especially beneficial. It strengthens the pelvic muscles and will make
delivery that much easier." Just take several stops and stay on a soft
surface like grass or a path.

She looked at the men in the room, "and Gentlemen, remember -- You're
in this together -- It wouldn't hurt you to go walking with her".

The room suddenly got very quiet as the men absorbed this information.

Then a man at the back of the room slowly raised his hand.

"Yes", answered the Instructor.

"I was just wondering if it would be all right if she carries a golf
bag while we walk??"

This kind of sensitivity just can't be taught."

Abdominal Breathing for Labor and Birth

Abdominal breathing is a BIG key to the Bradley Method® of natural childbirth classes. If you will focus on replacing chest breathing, which causes a tension, pain, fear cycle, with nice deep, relaxing, abdominal breaths you will eliminate one cause of unnecessary pain in your labor and birth.

"The more people have studied different methods of bringing up children, the more they have come to the conclusion that what good mothers and fathers instinctively feel like doing for their babies is the best after all." - Benjamin Spock

Surgeon General to Release “Call to Action to Support Breastfeeding”

"I feel the most important thing the birthing woman does is to listen to her own body and find out what her body is telling her she needs to do. And that neither the partner, nor the midwife, nor the doula, or whomever, should be giving orders, 'Now do this' or 'Now do that' because that interferes with what she is really trying to get from her body..." ~Marsden Wagner, M.D. (via Birth Without Fear)

Beyond Biology: The Holistic Stages of Labor

This is one of the most powerful and intuitive accounts of the labor and birth process that I have ever read before. I was brought to tears several times by the power I felt and remembered from my own births as I read it. It is lengthy, but you will not be sorry if you take the time to go all the way through it.

"No medication can deliver complete pain relief without risks," - Dr. William Sears

Why you shouldn’t “try” to have an unmedicated birth.

LOVE LOVE LOVE the logic of this one!!! A MUST read for anyone considering an un-medicated birth.

Healthcare Reform Increases Medicare Reimbursement for Midwives

"Many consumers choose midwifes for low-risk pregnancies because of lower costs. A statewide survey in Pennsylvania, for example, found that the average charge of a midwife delivery at a birth center is $4,600 compared to $7,737 for a vaginal delivery at a hospital.

Christine Haas, executive director of Pittsburgh's Midwife Center for Birth and Women's Health, said, "The new law will help make midwife and birth center services more accessible and viable, which will ultimately lower costs to the health-care system as well as improve outcomes.""

"Breastfeeding is the biological norm for mothers and babies. It is a relationship that provides stress reducing hormones to the mother as well as stimulation, connection, and protection from illness to the baby. It even feeds the baby." - Alice Martino Roddy

It's a Boy and a HOme Birth for Owen Wilson

They did it!!! :-)

"There is power that comes to women when they give birth. They don't ask for it, it simply invades them. Accumulates like clouds on the horizon and passes through, carrying the child with it." - Sheryl Feldman

"One thing you can depend upon is that your birthing with be *powerful*! Powerful pressure, powerful stretching, powerful pushing sensations and intense joy. Expect these powerful sensations and emotions, appreciate them for what they are; they bring your baby to you." --Hypnobabies (Official)

Owen Wilson & Jade Duell Planning a Home Birth

Kerr takes natural route to childbirth

Click on title link to be redirected to article.

"I always knew I was meant to do something really BIG in life, and now I know that this was it. Screw winning an Academy Award someday ... I GAVE BIRTH!" - Jenny McCarthy

Prenatal Vitamins

Click on the title link to be redirected to the article.

Menasha mom bikes a mile to hospital to give birth Read more: http://www.postcrescent.com/article/20110108/APC0101/301080062/Menasha-mom-bikes-a-mile

Click on the title link to be redirected to the article.

1st baby wearing 2nd baby

Click on the title link to be redirected to the article.

Luke's birth story (HBAC)

Click on the title link to be redirected to the article.

Tips for Used Baby Items

Click on title link to read the entire article.

“One of the most important things I have learned about birthing babies is that the process is more of an unfolding marvel than a routine progression of events.” –Tori Kropp

Bleeding Gums in Pregnancy

Click on the title link to be directed to the article.

Bradley® Classes Listed in Community Education

My #13 Bradley® series is now listed in the Kasson-Mantorville Winter/Spring 2011 brochure!!! Come check it out and pass it along. :-)

Click on the title link to be directed to the class listing.

Toothpaste chemical 'that can leave unborn babies brain damaged' Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1334533/Toothpaste-chemical-lea

"A chemical in toothpastes and soaps has been linked with brain damage to babies in the womb."

Click on the title link to read the entire article.

Breastfed Babies End Up Stronger Kids -- Literally

"Study finds children who were breastfed have stronger leg muscles than those who didn't"

Click on the title link to read the entire article.

"Breastfeeding is an instinctual and natural act, but it is also an art that is learned day by day. The reality is that almost all women can breastfeed, have enough milk for their babies and learn how to overcome problems both large and small. It is almost always simply a matter of practical knowledge and not a question of good luck." - La Leche League

"There is no other organ quite like the uterus. If men had such an organ they would brag about it. So should we" ~Ina May Gaskin

Breastfeeding Answers from La Leche League

"Welcome! Here you will find answers to your breastfeeding and parenting questions, drawn from the various resources on our site, conveniently grouped by topic."

How Dilated Am I? Assessing Dilation in Labor WITHOUT an Internal Exam.

"It’s the magic question weighing on most laboring mothers’ minds: (as well as the minds of her partner or birth attendants!) How much longer? Is there any way to tell how far along I am in the birthing process?"

Baby loss healing journal

"Created as a healing journal for mothers who have lost their babies, Mending Invisible Wings is filled with healing words, drawings, poems and exercises. Each exercise includes an action, an affirmation and a self-nurturance activity designed to help the mother move through her grief. There are also plenty of blank pages where she can express her grief through words or pictures. If you have recently lost a baby, or if you know someone who has, Mending Invisible Wings could be an important step in the healing process."

Brand New Bradley Method® web site!!!

Come and check out the new and improved, better than ever Bradley Method® web site. It's got a great new look and lay out, as well as awesome new features that are easier to use than ever!

"Birth is not an emergency. It is simply an emergence." - Jeannine Parvati Baker

“The guys who fear becoming fathers don’t understand that fathering is not something perfect men do, but something that perfects the man. The end product of child raising is not the child but the parent.” - Frank Pittman