Ann Arbor Baby Beginnings, LLC

10/06/2023

What are the best questions to ask if you're offered induction of labour?

As a midwife who has researched and written about induction of labour for more than two decades, I get asked that quite a bit.

Especially as I have a fundamental belief that there is no one 'right' path for everyone.

Twenty years before anyone hashtagged , I was promoting that very idea to women and families.

One size doesn't fit all.

You need to decide what's right for you.

And in order to do that, you might need to ask some questions.

So I have put together this guide to the five best questions that you can ask in order to get more information and make the decisions that are right for you.

I'm also going to tell you what can you learn from the answers you are given.

You can find my blog post at https://www.sarawickham.com/articles-2/five-questions-to-ask-if-youre-offered-induction-of-labour/

There's a link to my website in my bio as well.

I hope you'll find it useful.

07/26/2023

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT88hvxNf/

20.7K likes, 446 comments. “An unmedicated childbirth likely feels very intense with a ton of information coming at you! Just know that birth and labor without an epidural is very possible if thats what you seek for your childbirth experience and there are lots of birth tools and labor preparation...

07/07/2023

From Raised Good 💕
•
♡ If you would like to be kept in the loop on everything Synergetic Play Therapy or get resources to support you on your therapist or parent journey, join us here: https://linktr.ee/synergeticplaytherapy ♡

06/22/2023

We grow parents as we grow children. You will be amazed by all you don't know and all that you learn.

Each one has been a little more terrifying than the last, but were doin’ it. 👊🏼

Via on twitter

06/14/2023

No wonder we’re tired all the time.

📸.v.b

05/27/2023

https://www.michiganmedicine.org/health-lab/labor-induction-doesnt-always-reduce-caesarean-birth-risk-or-improve-outcomes-term?mibextid=Zxz2cZ

A new study suggests that inducing labor at 39 weeks for low-risk pregnancies may not reduce the risk of C-sections or improve outcomes.

05/22/2023

05/20/2023

That pretty much sums it up!

(via )

05/02/2023

Congratulations!!

The iconic tennis player fashionably shared the news on the red carpet.

04/21/2023

A little behind the scenes nurse action
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRTM4jAH/

Even in the most peaceful and serene birth settings, there is subtle “behind the scenes” activity that helps maintain a calm and safe environment for you and your baby😘🥰

04/17/2023

When did your baby drop?

📸

04/02/2023

Suffice it to say that bodycon dresses weren't always the most popular choice.

03/18/2023

"The rhombus of Michaelis (sometimes called the quadrilateral of Michaelis) is a kite-shaped area that includes the three lower lumber vertebrae, the sacrum and that long ligament which reaches down from the base of the scull to the sacrum.

This wedge-shaped area of bone moves backwards during the second stage of labour and as it moves back it pushes the wings of the ilea out, increasing the diameters of the pelvis.

We know it’s happening when the woman’s hands reach upwards (to find something to hold onto, her head goes back and her back arches.” (Wickham and Sutton 2002).

It's now twenty years since Jean Sutton and I first wrote about the rhombus of Michaelis in 2002.

We weren’t the first to notice it. Midwives from around the world had been aware of it and discussing it for many years. Some talked about “the opening of the back,” while others described the shape, and discussed it in the same sentence as they talked about purple lines and cold feet.

That is, the embodied wisdom of birth.

Since we wrote about it, many thousands of midwives and birth workers have learned about this physiological feature of birth from our article and the conversations that it has sparked.

The original article has been available on my website for several years and I have recently updated it. Yes, it’s one of those named by and for a man, and that’s not OK. But if we change the article title then people won’t be able to find it.

I’m re-sharing the link to the article today in the hope of sharing the information more widely.

You can read it at https://www.sarawickham.com/articles-2/the-rhombus-of-michaelis/

I hope you’ll find it useful.

Yes, please feel free to share and repost this social media post, with the pic, words and credit intact.

Thanks to my friends at for letting me reshare their image

03/17/2023

"It’s been 9 months Mama,
And finally we are now here.
Together, skin to skin,
The comfort of your heart beat still so near.

It’s been a long road Mama,
You’ve done so much for me.
Sacrificing your body, your sleep, your everything,
All to grow me safely in your belly.

It’s not the end though Mama,
We’re only just at the start.
I still need every part of you,
In the light of days and nights of dark.

It’s all so big out here Mama,
And I’m not sure of anything yet.
I love that you’re still close to me,
You’re my personalised safety net.

It’s relentless what you’re doing Mama,
I’m small and I need so much.
But mostly I need your love and safety,
You breath, your skin, your touch.

It’s a lot for me right now Mama,
The outside world is all so new.
The smells, the faces, the sounds,
But my favourite thing of all is you.

It’s a new reflection, I know Mama,
To you but not to me.
Remember I didn’t know you of before,
But you of now is perfect, it’s all I see.

It’s not easy sometimes Mama,
I know it can be hard on you.
The feeding, the healing, the rawness,
The sheer overwhelm of all the new.

It’s ok if you cry too Mama,
The tears are not just mine.
There’s a lot going on for us both, at once,
It’s ok to shed them at the same time.

It will all go too quickly though Mama,
I won’t always be this small.
I’ll need you less day by day,
And time, while slow, won’t actually stall.

It’s you that got me here Mama,
Don’t forget how capable you are.
You may feel weak and unsteady right now,
But truly Mama, you’ve come so far.

It’s one day at a time ok Mama?
Let’s figure it out together.
We’ve been a team for months already,
We both know we can handle whatever.

It’s such a special time now Mama,
This second chapter in the story of us.
And nothing feels more right to me,
Than giving you my life, for now, in trust. "

📸: .mahida / 🖊:

03/14/2023

Congratulations, Lindsay!

Lohan announced her marriage to financier Bader Shammas last year.

03/02/2023

This is so real

People need to zip it. 🤐

(via )

02/26/2023

The weight of that worry tells you you're doing it right.

(via Fruits of Motherhood )

02/22/2023

Join us every Wednesday (time varies) for our Q***r & Trans Parents Support Group!

PSI’s Q***r & Trans Parent Support Group is FREE and open to all members of the q***r community who are expecting, adopting, and/or parenting babies up to 2 years. This group is intended for gestational, non-gestational and adoptive parents.

Learn more and register at http://bit.ly/FindSupportGroup 💙