Building a Healthy Iron Supply
Pregnancy anemia occurs when your body doesn’t have enough healthy red blood cells to deliver oxygen efficiently to you and your growing baby. It’s especially common during pregnancy because your blood volume increases by nearly 50%, creating a greater demand for iron to produce the red blood cells needed to support this increased circulation.
Gestational Diabetes
Gestational Diabetes (GDM) is the most common pregnancy complication. It can lead to excess fetal growth, birth complications/trauma, birth defects, and a higher instance of cesarean deliveries. It can also lead to blood sugar instability for the newborn (which comes with it’s own risks), type 2 diabetes and heart disease in the mother.
Certifications and Trainings
A list of all my certifications and trainings as a birth educator and doula.
My Baby is in the NICU!
Your baby is the in the NICU, now what? Here is some helpful info to get started as you learn to care for yourself and your baby.
The Importance of Birth Education
Taking a birth education class is crucial for expecting parents. It can literally make the difference in the type of birth you have and how you experience it.
Postpartum Pitocin
One of the most commonly used interventions during the early postpartum period is Pitocin. But what exactly is Pitocin, and why is it used after delivery?
Mentally Preparing for Birth
When it comes to preparing for birth, there is so much focus on the physical aspects- what to eat or not eat, prenatal vitamins, stretches, exercises, and birth positions- but the mental side of birth is just as crucial. I would even argue that mentally preparing for birth is far more important.
Butt Cracks
I became a mama about 8 years ago and along the way, there have been plenty of things that have surprised me and caught me off guard. Some examples you might relate to have been how long you bleed for after having a baby, how hard breastfeeding can be, how many questions kids have, and…
Get this Baby Out!
One of the top questions I get asked happens around 39 weeks. The question sometimes comes even earlier, as the last month of pregnancy can feel like it lasts for a million days. And sometimes the question is later when the baby has been given an official eviction notice, also known as an induction date. Either way…
Nausea Tips from a Survivor
If you know anything about my own personal journey into becoming a mama, you know my pregnancies weren’t glamorous. In fact, one of the reasons I wanted my births to be so redemptive is because of how difficult those months were. I’ve recently had a few friends struggle with “morning” sickness, and it brought back…
The Four Letter “F” Word
I always ask people how or why they decided to take a childbirth class. One of the most common things I hear is that they are afraid of the process. I know from my own story how much fear can be involved in having a baby. Fear is, after all, the only reason I took…
The Beginning of the Journey
Sometimes infertility can feel lonely, shameful, and full of darkness. Actually, it always felt like that. I can remember feeling like I had a big scarlet letter painted on chest, even though no one could see or feel my pain. “I,” for “infertile.” It’s like that word, that letter, seemed to identify me. Seemed to…