Courtney Biber, Doula
Birth Support In Springfield, MO
What Is Cluster Feeding, And How Do I Get Through It?
Babies do lots of really cute things. Coos, giggles, and of course, their award winning snuggles. But for each of those cute things, there’s a less charming obstacle that parents have to figure out how to either master or survive- think, diaper blowouts, sleepless nights, and spit up. Cluster feeding is one of those obstacles that you hardly ever hear about, until your own baby is going through it. But what even is it?
Read MoreFive Things You Should Take Advantage of During Your Hospital Stay
In case you haven’t heard: Having a baby is pretty expensive. While baby showers are a great way to come up with lots of baby essentials, you most likely won’t get EVERYTHING you need from your family and friends. That said, you can grab some really great essentials from the hospitals… FOR FREE. Here are my top five favorite things to take advantage of before leaving the hospital:
Read MoreVernix: Magical Baby Goop & Delayed Newborn Baths
Vernix, formally known as vernix caseosa is the white, creamy, looking substance that newborns are born with. Most of us are inclined to look at it as gross, and when people hear that parents want to delay newborn baths because of it, its easy to think “WHAT?!” But, I’m here to tell you, its there for a reason, and its pretty amazing stuff.
Read MoreThe Tea on Red Raspberry Leaf Tea
Red Raspberry Leaf Tea is often hailed as a uterus superfood, with the ability to induce and shorten labor, make labor less painful, ease morning sickness and reduce postpartum bleeding. Its been around since the 6th century, used as a common medicinal tea to ease PMS discomfort, diarrhea, and to lower blood pressure, for men, women, and children. But does it have any scientific validity, or is it just another old wives’ tale?
Read MoreTop 5 Reasons to Delay Cord Clamping
Since the 1950s, it has been standard protocol after delivery, for doctors to clamp the umbilical cord, immediately after birth. In 2012, the World Health Organization (WHO) began recommending that doctors leave the umbilical cord alone for AT LEAST one full minute, in order to improve health outcomes for both mother and baby. (The only exception to this recommendation being when newborns require positive-pressure resuscitation.) The benefits of delayed cord clamping include:
CONTINUE READINGSurviving the First Year of Motherhood
Its no secret that motherhood is the probably the scariest hood you’ll ever go through. From explosive diapers and nip-lash, to dangerously low amounts of sleep and hormonal imbalances, its clear: Mommin’ isn’t for the faint of heart. No matter how many books you read and classes you take, its really easy (and totally normal) to feel like you’ll never make it through the first year. In honor of both Mothers Day, and Mental Health Awareness Month, I teamed up with three moms to talk about how to survive the first year of motherhood.
Read MoreDoulas Are For Cesareans, Too.
Our society views cesarean birth a lot differently than it does vaginal birth. If you’ve had a cesarean yourself, you probably know EXACTLY what I mean. Without even meaning to, good-intentioned people can make comments that imply that belly birth is the “easy way out”, that you “got lucky” or perhaps most hurtful of all, that “the ONLY thing that matters, is a happy healthy baby.” I’m here to tell you that there’s plenty of room left in the equation to make sure that the mom who just risked her life to give life to her baby is also happy and healthy.
Read MoreThe 411 on Baby Led Weaning
Baby-Led Weaning, or BLW for short, is a somewhat new approach to feeding infants, that has risen in popularity, especially in the U.S., over the last few years. It means almost exactly what the name implies, letting babies take the lead when it comes to eating food at the start of weaning. This means no purees, no baby foods, no mushing, or mashing, just giving baby the same sort of foods you and your family are already eating(with a few exceptions).
Read MoreSix Different Kinds of Birth Stories To Get You Inspired
When you’re pregnant, its common to hear birth horror stories, as well as everything that can possibly go wrong during labor. I think its incredibly important to surround yourself with POSITIVE stories about birth as you prepare to go through it yourself. I found six completely different birth videos from around the web that demonstrate that no matter how it happens: Birth can be beautiful.
Read MoreBirth Plans- A Doula’s Perspective
If you’re pregnant, or have ever been pregnant, you’ll know firsthand that the advice you receive from those around you is often confusing and conflicting. It can be hard to tell, as you swim through the sea of unsolicited comments who is right and who is wrong.
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