Welcome to Returning to Birth! I share the amazing ways childbirth can teach us more about ourselves. ALL women deserve a positive and empowering birth experience, and I’m here to help make that happen.
Cervical exams during pregnancy can be uncomfortable and even painful, but when you are also a survivor of abuse, it can get a little complicated. You have options!
Have you ever heard someone make fun of birth plans or that their plan went “out the window”? Birth plans are not a wish list of your ideal birth but guidelines on your preferences. They are a way to communicate your wishes IF certain things happen not a list of everything about your perfect birth. When you look at it as a means to researching yoru options and a bridge to communicate with your provider instead of a wish list of your perfect birth, they become way more useful tools for your labor. #birthplan #labor #childbirth
Were you diagnosed with gestational diabetes? While is does potentially increase your chances of some complications, well controlled gestational diabetes usually doesn’t cause too many problems. It also doesn’t mean you have to have a c-section! Learn how to lower your risks and stay healthy. #childbirth #pregnancy #gestationaldiabetes
Around 30% of new moms report their birth experience as traumatic. It could be physically traumatic from an emergency situation or unwanted C-Section or emotional traumatic. Recovering from childbirth and taking care of a newborn is HARD even when everything goes perfectly so how are you supposed to do that after a traumatic birth? It’s possible! Head over to the blog to read all about it. #traumarecovery #traumaticbirth #newborn
There’s nothing worse than spending money on baby gear you never use. These are my all time favorite baby products I can’t live without. #babygear #babyregistry #newmom #babyproducts
Pregnancy is a wild ride that isn’t always smooth sailing. Common pregnancy problems can have solutions you’ve never heard of! Don’t grit your teeth through pregnancy. Here are solutions to 4 common pregnancy problems so you don’t have to keep dealing with those annoying symptoms. #pregnancyproblems #pregnancyhack #childbirth
Much of the labor preparation resources I've come across are all about how to get through contractions: comfort measures, breathing techniques, positions, etc. What about what you should be doing in between contractions? Labor is a lot of work and it can be exhausting! Here are 7 things to do between contractions to keep you focused, relaxed, and ready to meet your baby! #laboranddelivery
How my trauma history impacted my “perfect” birth and why it doesn’t have to for you too. There is a strong connection between prior trauma/abuse and childbirth so you have to be prepared. No one wants their abuse history to hijack their birth experience. #abusesurvivor #traumainformed #childbirth
Labor is a lot of work and sometimes you don't progress the 'expected' 1 cm per hour and that's ok (that metric is outdated anyways). Sometimes you sit at 3 cm for hours on end and still go from 6 cm to baby in your arms in an hour! There are plenty of reasons for labor to stall. EVERY labor is different, but if you find labor has stalled for any reason, try doing some of these 11 tips. #childbirth #labor #doula
Of all the pregnant ladies I have talked to, tearing is one of the most common fears. Some providers just shrug it off and say everyone tears...Not True! As a mom who recovered from one birth with tearing and one without....trust me, you want to follow as many of these tips as possible. Recovery was SO much easier postpartum without dealing with tearing and stitches. #tearingduringbirth #tearingprevention #childbirth
Want a doula for your birth but don’t have an extra $500-$2000 laying around? What if I told you you can get a doula for free!? #birthdoula #childbirth #savemoney
Sleep deprivation is a torture method. If you have a newborn I’m sure you understand what I’m talking about. That’s probably why you’re reading this now. Now I can’t promise to make your little angel magically start sleeping through the night through the computer screen, but I do have some practical no cry methods you can do right now that will help you get more sleep. #newbaby #moresleep #nocrysleep
I didn't know what I was missing out on with the whole baby carrier craze when I had my first baby. I had a couple carriers and liked the idea but I had no idea what I was doing. Someone gave me a second hand wrap carrier that seemed like I needed to study origami for a few years before I could successfully carry a teady bear let alone a live child. Enter Ergobaby OMNI 360 and my life is changed!! Click to read my review and get a discount code! #ergobaby #lovecarrieson #babycarrying
Pain free birth?...without meds!? Is that even possible??? YES! Our culture has deemed birth to the most painful thing that can possibly happen to you. Movies show women in labor screaming and yelling. Can birth be extremely painful? Yes, absolutely. Does it have to be? No. Even if you do everything "perfect" and follow all of these suggestions, you may still have a painful birth. There are so many variables like baby's positioning, medications, previous trauma, etc that can impact things. I can however say with confidence that if you do these 5 things, you WILL have a more comfortable birthing experience. #childbirth #unmedicated #naturalbirth
In honor of World Breastfeeding Week, I’m going to share with you my breastfeeding experience with my first baby and an unusual complication I experienced: A milk fistula. Never heard of it? I hadn’t either. #milkfistula #breastfeeding #cancerscare
So you did your research while pregnant with your first baby and chose a stroller that could grow with you and turn into a double whenever baby number two comes along...Britax B-Ready. Awesome choice! Now that you're preparing for little bundle of joy #2's grand arrival you're going through everything you need before baby gets here and think "Hey, maybe I should get that adapter for the second seat." Like any busy mom that doesn't want to unnecessarily battle a toddler into the carseat to go stroller hunting at the store you go online to order it and it's...NOWHERE!? These are my tips on how to find it. #newbaby #stroller #momlife
Breastfeeding was much harder at first than I thought it was going to be. I had this idea that it was natural so it should be easy, or the baby and I would both just automatically know what to do. There is a definite learning curve and it takes some time to figure things out. This is why support is so important! #breastfeeding #newmom #breastfeedingsupport #ibclc
