Wikis tagged with healthy-pregnancy

It’s hard to think of a baby being violent or destructive, but the seeds of violence may be planted before a child is born, according to research at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing. A study carried out there and reported last fall in the journal Aggression and Violent Behavior suggests that attention to health factors during prenatal development could prevent violence in later life. Citing recent research demonstrating a biological basis of crime, article author and Penn nursing assistant professor Jianghong Liu explains, “‘Biological’ does not mean only genetic...

  About International Rescue Committee   The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. At work in over 40 countries and 22 U.S. cities to restore safety, dignity and hope, the IRC leads the way from harm to home.   By Rebecca Blum   Rebecca Blum, emergency preparedness and response program manager with the International Rescue Committee, visited IRC programs in Yemen in September 2012 and shared this account:   Yemen has the second highest rate of malnutrition in the world, trailing...

  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 birth before I...

Contractions are like labour, at first calm, then a few ripples, before gathering in strength and size, then reaching a crescendo, ending in the calm again, just like the waves on this beach in Fetlar (Shetland, UK), which we experienced in all of natures offerings!   Sheila Kitzinger talks of indigenous women labouring alone in a private but familiar place, whilst the midwife waits at a safe distance, ready if she is needed. In a high-tech hospital I too turned inwards to this place, just like other mammals do and pregnant woman have done for millennia. Hours passed. Labour...

Join me for a Mindful Motherhood retreat in O’Keefe Country – the high desert of Northern New Mexico! Mindful Motherhood: Practical Tools for Staying Sane During Pregnancy and Your Child’s First Year June 20-26, 2011 Ghost Ranch, Abiquiu, New Mexico Based on research on the benefits of mindfulness training for pregnant women and new moms this retreat is for pregnant women, moms of all ages, and professionals who want to incorporate mindfulness into their work with mothers. Bring your kids! Fabulous children’s program, and afternoons free for hiking, swimming, horseback riding,...

I am constantly comparing the very different personalities of my two sons. They are two years apart and from the time “Segundo” was born, “Primero” made it clear that they were going to mix about as well as oil and water.  I don’t really think its so strange that siblings can have such different personalities or outlooks on life, but seeing first hand every day the way that they interact with (and sometimes repel) each other makes me ponder the reason why they are so different. A close friend, my soul sister, and a mother whom I deeply respect and try to emulate told me about her plans...

Fox Television's, "Mobbed" Fox producers are looking for pregnant women to ANNOUNCE THEIR PREGNANCY to the grandparents-to-be or to the husband, on national tv in a flash mob on the new hit show, Mobbed. From the casting agents: “Must be 18-years or older and US citizen or permanent legal resident of US Outgoing & charismatic & willing to share your news on national tv Ideally in Southern California, but if you have a GREAT story, we will consider you” Email: MobbedTV@gmail.com Email attn. Chrissy, and include your “Name, contact information, occupation, current...

By Allison J. Walsh, IBCLC, LCCE, FACCE Just as every pregnancy and birth is unique, so too is every childbirth class. While the options available to you may seem overwhelming, it is important to do your homework. A good childbirth class can not only prepare you for labor, it can expand your personal view of birth, lessen your fears and, most importantly, build your confidence in yourself and your body. To find one that works for you, take into account the following five factors. 1. Instructor The instructor can make or break a class. Before you choose one, call a few and ask...

BOLD 2011 Muskoka, Canada   “The thing that is really hard, and really amazing, is giving up on being perfect and beginning the work of becoming yourself.” -       Anna Quindlen   I’m a perfectionist, or so I’ve been told. Recently as a mom being perfect has been a tough calling. This summer I’ve felt like the captain of team Loser Mom. The kids are dressed – probably because they are ten and twelve now and dress themselves – but the rest of my household is an utter mess. Perfect started slipping in June.   Now, late August, when I look at my countertop I see urgent...

Thank you to Jennifer Margulis for sharing this excerpt from her most recent blog post with us. You can read the full article on her blog. Doctors and other care providers want you to do things their way. But often their way is based on habit, fear of liability, or expediency. Unlike homebirth midwives, obstetricians almost never request their patients keep a food and exercise log. They almost never take 45-minutes to review the foods you’ve eaten in the past week, counsel you on good nutrition, and strategize on how best to exercise during your pregnancy. And also unlike homebirth...

Thank you to JoAnna Woods for this guest post. Find out more about placenta encapsulation on her website Twice Blessed Encapsulation.  Throughout the last decade placenta inferences have been popping up in the Hollywood buzz. GQ quoted soon to be parent Tom Cruise in 2006 (supposedly joking), “I’m gonna eat the placenta. I thought that would be good. Very nutritious.” In keeping with Australian Aborigine tradition MatthewMcConaughey buried his son’s placenta in their yard and planted a tree over it in 2008. January Jones (Mad Men) learned from her doula that ingesting her encapsulated...

Arek Akot Mawien after giving birth to her daughter Ajok. (Photo: Peter Biro/IRC) AWEIL, South Sudan – Ripping up clouds of red dust, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) ambulance flies along the potholed roads leading to the South Sudanese town of Aweil. Inside, 19-year-old Arek Mawien lies on a stretcher grimacing in pain as she struggles to give birth to her first baby. “She came into our health center yesterday and has been in labor for 24 hours,” explains Joseph Remi, the IRC’s health manager in the isolated village of Malualkon, where Arek lives. “She can’t push the...

Anna Melzer at Bellyrama 2011 Thank you to Alisa Blackwood for the guest post. When Anna Melzer’s water broke at 41 weeks pregnant, her contractions were manageable. She faced two choices: go to the hospital early or drive to Minneapolis’ Lake Harriet, where an outdoor yoga festival for pregnant women and mothers was about to begin. She chose the yoga festival, aptly named “Bellyrama.” “I was so happy with my choice… mamas, sunshine, the lake, the breeze, yoga, squats, dancing… heaven! Best yoga practice ever!” Melzer says. She spent much of that yoga practice breathing through...

A special thank you to Anni Dautler for writing this guest blog post on the sacredness that is pregnancy and birth! When I was pregnant with my second child, Lotus, I became obsessed with trying to find women I could connect with that knew about the sacredness of birth and the rite of passage process that every mother goes through, but few mark. My pregnancy craving was for that sisterhood that used to exist back in the day when women lived in tribes and pregnancy wisdom was passed down from mother to mother. Not being able to find what I was truly looking for, I realized something was...

When the phone rings, it’s usually a regular business call.  Unless it’s the last week of the month, when we start getting incessant calls from the bar association, making sure, for the umpteenth time, that I am properly listed in the directory (and no, I don’t want to buy a copy).  But these days, we’ve been hearing from more and more pregnant women, calling because maybe, just maybe, we’re actually open, and if not, could someone please help with her insurance company? We’re used to the “can you recommend an XYZ provider in Brooklyn” calls – in fact, we really enjoy being helpful in...

After almost every prenatal visit when I was pregnant with my first child I would cry. The midwives in the only practice our student insurance would pay for were so mean that we ended up switching to the doctors. When I refused what I considered nonsensical testing, they would look at me sternly and say things like, “You’re going to buy yourself a C-section if you don’t do the glucose tolerance test.” Without telling us why, my favorite doctor in the practice (a young woman with two small children herself) ordered an “emergency ultrasound” when I was eight and a half months pregnant....

by Sarah Juliusson of www.MamaRenew.ca – Find Mama Renew on Facebook. Several years ago a group of us came together to form The Birth Lounge, seeking to share the strong community of care that is available to support new families in our region. As we talked, we found a shared frustration with the corporate trade-shows that have become commonplace. First comes love (the sex show), then comes marriage (the bridal show), then comes baby (the baby show), and over and over again the masses fill the convention centre. High vendor prices are out of reach for the small businesses (many of...

“Do you drink alcohol?” the nurse practitioner, who’s checking off boxes on a list of questions that goes on for four pages, looks sternly up at me. I am pregnant. Pregnant women in America are not supposed to drink. “Never,” I tell her. I’m lying. The gimlet my husband and I shared in a fancy Italian restaurant to try Philip Marlowe’s favorite drink was before I knew I was pregnant. But I did not mention the sip or two of red wine I have at dinner almost every night. Every pregnant woman in America knows she’s not supposed to drink. Drinking can cause an array of problems for...

You may have noticed the press release with the winking ACOG eyeball can no longer be found on this Website. As reported by Babble.com, the press release first appeared on CNN.com’s iReport but was pulled after it was discovered to be a prank. As this post from another Babble.com blogger indicates, the subject of the press release–America’s skyrocketing C-section rate which is in violation of women’s fundamental rights–is anything but funny. As the press release circulated via email and Twitter, bloggers have been writing about it: *the Deranged Housewife “It’s clear to me that...

This is not exhaustive, because I’m exhausted. But. Some highlights of the ABC Expo (a trade show for babies and kids’ stuff–basically, where childrens’ retailers go to find a lot of their stock) were: Belly Armor is a line of blankets, shirts and belly bands that blocks your tummy against the radiation that comes from laptops and cell phones. The rep wrapped my cell phone in the silver fabric and I saw the signal disappear, which showed its power to block the waves. I want one now and I’m not even pregnant–but I do spend a heck of a lot of time on my laptop. We’re going to be...