• Last updated 10/30/12 by Marcy Axness

Breaking news from Michel Odent's conference on Birth & Primal Health Research*: data is clear that we humans are losing the capacity to give birth! How can that be? It is pure evolution in action: when we do not use certain functions of our physiology, the "message" to our always-changing bodymind system -- a message that becomes passed down to future generations through changes in DNA expression -- is, "That function is no longer needed."   Oxytocin: Liquid Peace  Oxytocin has been in the news lately, the hormone of love...the moral molecule..."liquid peace" I... read more

• Last updated 9/28/10 by Mothering Editorial

By Lynn Zimmer and John P. Morgan Warnings that marijuana causes birth defects date back to the late 1960s.1 Some researchers claimed to have found chromosomal abnormalities in blood cells taken from marijuana users. They predicted that young men and women who used marijuana would produce deformed babies.2 Although later studies disproved this theory,3 some current drug education materials still claim that genetic damage is passed on by marijuana users to their children.4Today, researchers look for a direct effect of THC [for tetrahydrocannabinol, either of two... read more

• Last updated 2/25/13 by Kristen Tea

  Reposted with permission from MotherWise     For some people, announcing a pregnancy is a happy, exciting time.  Many soon-to-be mothers experience joyous reactions, hugs, happy tears, high-fives, and other loving, encouraging responses.  Others are not so fortunate, and it seems that an etiquette guide is in order.   I am a single parent, and although I was 23 and had a good job at a library, most of the responses I received when I told people I was pregnant were insensitive and inconsiderate.  It appeared that the main focus was that I was unmarried,... read more

• Last updated 3/18/13 by Melanie Mayo

A common intervention, epidurals are given to reduce pain during birth. But at what cost? A leading Australian physician discusses how this invasive procedure actually impedes labor and harms both mother and baby. Adapted from the book Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering; The wisdom and science of gentle choices in pregnancy, birth, and parenting available from www.sarahjbuckley.com By Sarah J. Buckley The first recorded use of an epidural was in 1885, when New York neurologist J. Leonard Corning injected cocaine into the back of a patient suffering from "spinal... read more

• Last updated 10/23/12 by Melanie Mayo

She’s curled up on the couch, waiting, a ball of baby and emotions. A scrambled pile of books on pregnancy, labor, baby names, breastfeeding…not one more word can be absorbed. The birth supplies are loaded in a laundry basket, ready for action. The freezer is filled with meals, the car seat installed, the camera charged. It’s time to hurry up and wait. Not a comfortable place to be, but wholly necessary. The last days of pregnancy— sometimes stretching to agonizing weeks—are a distinct place, time, event, stage. It is a time of in between. Neither here nor... read more

• Last updated 11/15/12 by Melanie Mayo

  The first book I ever read about pregnancy, birth, and babies was Ina May Gaskin's Spiritual Midwifery.  I wasn't interested in becoming a midwife, and this was several years before I even thought of becoming a mother, but it looked interesting so I picked it up.  It rocked my world.  I had never thought of birth in such earthy terms; I had never considered mother-directed birth, and I definitely hadn't thought that birth could be pleasant or even pain-free!  I feel so fortunate to have discovered this book, discovered this whole world of thinking differently about... read more

• Last updated 1/17/13 by Melanie Mayo

  What the Doctor Isn’t Telling You about Pregnancy and the Flu Vaccine by Jennifer Margulis Dec 07, 2011   When Katie Tyler, who’s 33 years old and lives in Truckee, California, went in for her 28-week pregnancy checkup, the nurse at the doctor’s office urged her to get the flu shot. At first, Tyler, a real-estate agent, was skeptical. About to go on a 10-day vacation with her husband, she didn’t want to do anything that might make her sick. Because she was pregnant she was... read more

• Last updated 11/12/12 by Melanie Mayo

Boys   Aquila eagle Latin   Duarte wealthy guardian Portuguese   Elsu flying falcon Native American   Faolan wolf Irish   Gaagii raven Native American   Lywanu growling... read more

• Last updated 12/18/12 by Sarah Clark

(Note- this post contains references to things related to Santa such as Elf on a Shelf.  If you find this offensive you may want to skip it.)       Have you heard of the recent Elf on a Shelf phenomenon?  I was at a play date with my children the other day and there was a creepy looking elf sitting in the kitchen.  The children explained that it is a special Santa's elf that watches them and reports back.  (Apparently the usual holiday threat "I will tell Santa that you did that and you will get coal in your stocking!" just doesn't work for today's more... read more

• Last updated 8/24/12 by Mothering Editorial

Mothering the Mother: The Importance of Postpartum Care by Rev. Pilar (Ma’at) GrantNov 02, 2011 What is the Postpartum Period? As a midwife, I have worked with pregnant mothers and their families for over twenty years. I myself am a mother of seven amazing and beautiful human beings. During this time, I have witnessed as well as experienced how women are almost forgotten after the birth of their babies.  Postpartum, also called the fourth trimester, puerperium and postnatal is recognized as the period just after birth and the subsequent six weeks that follow.... read more