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Get Your Labor Started Naturally

If you are nearing the end of your pregnancy, you are probably wondering whether and when your labor will begin. If you are overdue, and you are nearing the date when you would be induced you may also wonder whether labor will start on its own before then. If you are interested in trying to give things a nudge in that direction, there are a few things that you can do if your prenatal health care provider says that it okay to do them. It is essential that you ask your care provider first because each pregnancy is different, and … Continue reading →

Waiting for Labor

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One of my friends is very close to delivery. We were talking the other night about signs of impending labor and I began to reflect on my own experience. Every woman’s story is different, but I have noticed that first babies tend to take their sweet time getting ready. I delivered on a Monday, but my contractions started on the Wednesday prior. It gets stressful when you can’t figure out whether you’re experiencing the real thing or simply false labor. After all, there’s nothing false about false labor. It still hurts, it just doesn’t lead to any progress. Unless you’ve … Continue reading →

Videotaping the Birth of Your Baby

Video taping the birth of your baby can be a wonderful memento of the big day. You will be able to share the memories of your baby’s birth for years to come. An added benefit is that the tape can be shared with your baby as he or she gets older and naturally begins to ask questions about the birth. Talk to your doctor if you want to video tape the baby’s birth. Some doctors and hospitals have a policy against video cameras in the delivery room. In this age of lawsuits, doctors fear that tapes can later be used … Continue reading →

Should You Create A Birth Plan?

Should you create a birth plan?  It can be a helpful tool for making your wishes known both to your healthcare provider and the labor & delivery staff, but it also seems a little silly to plan something like one’s labor: after all, if we could control it, we would all have easy births. When I first heard about birth plans, I decided that they weren’t for me.  I’m a very Type A person; I get stressed if even my silliest of plans get messed up, if they’re ones I’m excited about.  Trying to plan my baby’s birth, and everything … Continue reading →

What Is A Doula?

You may have heard one or more people talking about using the services of a doula during and after childbirth. If you are wondering what a doula is, you have come to the right place. Today I am going to offer a brief explanation of what doulas do, so that you can decide whether you would like to find one to help you out. A doula is a trained professional who provides useful information as well as physical and emotional support for a pregnant woman during and for some period of time after the birth of the baby. There are … Continue reading →

The Rules Of Natural Child Spacing

Whenever someone asks the mother of a newborn baby when she expects to have another child, they should expect to get a dirty look, at the very least. That said, it can be surprising how quickly the memories of even a very painful labor and delivery can fade into the background. Even women who screamed very angry words at their husbands or partners in the delivery room may be happy when, at their six week postpartum visit, their doctor gives them the green light to resume intimate activity. All of these things lead to the question of how soon a … Continue reading →

Book Review: You’re Not My REAL Mother!

“You’re Not My REAL Mother!” is one adoptive mother’s answer to the remark that most adopted kids probably make at one time or another. Molly Friedrich’s is a mother of four, including a daughter adopted from Vietnam and a son adopted from Guatemala. This book, You’re Not My REAL Mother! is her first book and is based on the answer she gave her daughter when she made the dreaded declaration. Friedrich “took a deep breath and thought fast”. The book’s approach is for the adoptive mother to say, “of course I am, my darling! Does a real mother [have tea … Continue reading →

When the Group B Strep Test is Positive

In late pregnancy, your health care provider will likely perform a test for group B strep. The test is a simple swab that is generally done in the last month of pregnancy. The swab is testing for the presence of group B strep in the vagina. If you get a positive test result, you are not alone. The Centers for Disease Control estimates that between fifteen and forty percent of all women carry group B strep. It is generally without symptoms or problems, except during birth. It is possible for pregnant women to test negative in one pregnancy, positive in … Continue reading →

Author Interview – Lynne Jonell (part one) When Inspiration Strikes

Nationally published children’s author Lynne Jonell is our special guest for today. Lynne, thank you so much for joining us. I reviewed some of your picture books for Families.com earlier this year and was intrigued by your angle. In a world where many picture books seem to be designed to teach the child, you take situations from the child’s perspective, essentially teaching the parent how the child feels. How did you arrive at this unique way of looking at things? Um—I might take issue with the idea that most picture books are designed to teach the child. Some are, but … Continue reading →

Dealing with Difficult Hospital Staff

I’ve heard some horror stories recently about negative hospital staff in the labor and delivery room. I’ve also experienced some down right nasty nurses during the four times I’ve delivered babies. I was much more affected by attitude with my first baby than with my fourth. When a woman is in labor, she is vulnerable to negative or nasty nurses. A roll of the eyes or unkind statement can really affect the confidence the woman feels in labor or as a new mother. A family friend was told by a nurse that she was being “too loud” during labor. She … Continue reading →