Belly to Baby Birth and Postpartum Doula Support

11/21/2023

🥰

05/17/2023

♥️♥️

Kangaroo Care, Skin-to-Skin Contact, and Kangaroo Mother Care all refer to the holding of a diaper clad infant bare chest to bare chest in an upright position by a mother, father, parent, or others.

Kangaroo care helps baby’s brains grow and develop, especially in the areas of the brain that control mobility, balance, learning, talking, vision, and emotion. It also decreases the risk of a baby getting infection, helps control their pain, reduces their stress, and regulates sleep.

As if that isn’t enough, kangaroo care increases milk supply and helps to establish breastfeeding. Parent’s who do kangaroo care with their infant report improved mental wellbeing.

May 15 is International Kangaroo Care Awareness Day. Kangaroo care is a powerful way of reducing pain in newborns – learn more here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nqN9c3FWn8

05/09/2023

Health Canada has issued a notice about water beads, warning parents and caregivers about the life-threatening risks of these tiny beads to young children.
• If you suspect that your child has ingested a water bead, immediately call the Atlantic Canada Poison Centre hot line at 1-844-POISON-X
• Water beads should always be stored in an airtight container out of sight and reach of children, especially those under the age of five. Caregivers of children under five should avoid having water beads in their household or classroom, even if intended for an older child or adult use.

03/05/2023

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMYfoeoGS/

Dear mom and dad....

02/11/2023

Ha ha yup!

😂😂😂

via Funny Parenting Memes

☀️Our gorgeous issue 49 is on sale in both NZ, Australia and the UK Every store-bought copy comes with a special Journal to document your baby’s first year and note down those special moments! There’s milestone cards, a beautiful first year experiences colouring in section and lots of space to write. Issue 49 is also available to purchase locally and internationally online: https://thenaturalparentmagazine.com/product-category/shop/magazine ☀️

02/08/2023

Genius !

I plan on wearing this a majority of the newborn phase just like my last baby

01/27/2023

Great wrap demo!

Replying to skin to skin is great for teething babies!!

01/11/2023

♥️💪🏼💪🏼

In ancient Greece, women were forbidden to study medicine for several years until someone broke the law. Born in 300 BCE, Agnodice cut her hair and entered Alexandria medical school dressed as a man. While walking the streets of Athens after completing her medical education, she heard the cries of a woman in labour. However, the woman did not want Agnodice to touch her although she was in severe pain, because she thought Agnodice was a man. Agnodice proved that she was a woman by removing her clothes without anyone seeing and helped the woman deliver her baby.
The story would soon spread among the women and all the women who were sick began to go to Agnodice. The male doctors grew envious and accused Agnodice, whom they thought was male, of seducing female patients. At her trial, Agnodice, stood before the court and proved that she was a woman but this time, she was sentenced to death for studying medicine and practicing medicine as a woman.
Women revolted at the sentence, especially the wives of the judges who had given the death penalty. Some said that if Agnodice was killed, they would go to their deaths with her. Unable to withstand the pressures of their wives and other women, the judges lifted Agnodice's sentence, and from then on, women were allowed to practice medicine, provided they only looked after women.
Thus, Agnodice made her mark in history as the first Greek female doctor, physician and gynecologist. This plaque depicting Agnodice at work was excavated at Ostia, Italy.

12/29/2022

Doulas for the win ♥️🎅🏼

12/28/2022

“Who let the baby in here lol”

😝

12/19/2022

Hello Oxytocin 🥰

❤️ Love at first sight ❤️
This is a beautiful example of oxytocin at work 😍
The hormone oxytocin, known as the love hormone, is at its highest just after the birth. This facilitates bonding (amongst other things).
Just look at how this baby is looking into the eyes of his mother - this is also due to a calm unmedicated birth, so that the process is not inhibited in any way.
Be educated. Be informed. Be in control
Photo credit - A Life in Bloom Photography

12/05/2022

🤣

😆

12/01/2022

11/24/2022

♥️

An obstetrician from the 1800’s decided your due date.

And VERY often babies are forced out of the womb before they’re ready based on his calculations, like if this was their expiry date.

The obsession with a gestation of 40 weeks leads to an increase in inductions, interventions, and surgical birth - all of which have physical and emotional/mental consequences for mother and baby, and this happens even though we all know that it is normal for a baby to be born within 37 and 42 weeks of gestation...

But where did this guess date even come from?

The due date calculation we use today comes from an obstetrician named Franz Karl Naegele, who invented “Naegele’s Rule”. This calculation starts with the first day of your last menstrual period, goes back three months, then adds one year and 7 days. The result is a gestation of 280 days (40 weeks).

The 40 week date is an average, meaning that about 1/2 of people will give birth before that date, & 1/2 after. It probably wasn’t seen as a hard eviction date in the 1800’s.

But today we live in a fast-paced world that runs on schedules and money. And with the ability to “control” birth via induction and surgery, this 40 week average date often turns into the day when your baby will be forced from your body.

And the worst thing is that Naegele’s Rule is based on a 28 day menstrual cycle. If you, like me, don’t have a 28-day cycle, this calculation won’t work for you and most providers don't adjust the due date based on the length of your cycle.

Another important things is that we are all different! We all got our periods at different times and our periods are all unique to us. So why would our bodies all grow babies at exactly the same rate?

To use a due date as an estimate of when a baby will arrive is one thing - to use it as an expiry date is completely different!

Remember that your baby will know when they're ready to be born and they will start the birthing process on their own.

11/06/2022

You’ve waited so long for this moment, soak it all in, the rest can wait ♥️

You've been waiting for the moment to meet your baby for months, and possibly even years. There is nothing quite like the feeling of your baby on your chest. In the vast majority of cases, baby can stay right on your chest for at least the first hour or two. Things like weighing, measuring, foot prints, newborn medications (if you choose to do so), etc can all wait until after you've had time to take in your baby, snuggle, and recover. ​​​​​​​​
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A nurse or provider will be making sure that baby's heart rate, breathing, and temperature are all where they should be, and this can all be done right on your chest.​​​​​​​​
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Re after birth, a nurse may say, "is it okay if we take your baby over to the warmer for a few minutes?" You can absolutely say, "we'd like to wait for awhile." If there is a true need or concern, they will share that with you and your partner can go over to the warmer with baby. In most cases, it's just for a few minutes and baby can be given right back to the parent for skin to skin. ​​​​​​​​
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Sometimes it's hard to remember these things in the moment after such a big event, so discussing this with your partner and doula (if you have one) is key! That golden hour (or two) of snuggling is often so important to new parents and you deserve all that cuddle time!​​​​​​​​

Reposted from

11/03/2022

Dads 😍

We've known for a long time that skin-to-skin is important (vital!) for mamas and babies, but research is showing it matters for dads too!

Add this to your intentions/plans for immediate postpartum. And prepare to be melted while watching it. 🥰