Being and Born

09/17/2025

The natural term for humans to breastfeed is anywhere between 2 and 7+ years. Some babies stop earlier, some carry on for longer.

Many cultures around the world breastfeed to natural term, including many women in the Western world. This age range is only surprising in cultures that interrupt breastfeeding, often without realising it or knowing which norms are biological and which are cultural.

The concentration of fats and proteins increase as a baby grows into a toddler, along with increased levels of antibacterial and antiviral components such as lysozyme, which is an anti-inflammatory, and destroys bacteria.

Lysozyme increases in concentration from about 6 months old, when babies become more mobile and everything (toys, sand, cats biscuits?) goes straight in the mouth, and keeps increasing after the first year.

The concentration of Lactoferrin also increases over time. Lactoferrin inhibits the growth of some cancerous cells. It also binds to the iron in our baby’s body, preventing it from being available to harmful microorganisms that need iron to survive. Lactoferrin also kills the bacteria strep mutans, a cause of tooth decay and cavities.

Our body’s immune system takes around 6 years to become fully mature, so the support of the protective factors in breastmilk until our immune system can fully function on its own seems play a part in the timescale of natural term weaning too.

Longer term breastfeeding is also associated with reduced risk of diseases for mothers, including breast cancer.

We acknowledge that many mothers find it difficult to establish breastfeeding in the first place, that is a multi-layered investment on the part of a mother and that natural term feeding might not feel like, or be, a possibility for many.

We're not here to tell anyone what to do.

We also acknowledge that lack of information about our biology contributes to lack of support for mothers when they want to establish, or continue, breastfeeding, but cannot find the help they need from people who understand why it matters, or what is normal.

More at https://human-milk.com/pages/science-of-breastmilk

09/17/2025

Neonatal male circumcision in the U.S. has fallen over the past decade and now sits below 50%, a cross-sectional study indicated.

"These findings align with prior trends and reflect sociodemographic changes and evolving cultural, clinical, and policy landscapes," researchers wrote.

Read more: https://www.medpagetoday.com/pediatrics/generalpediatrics/117464

09/13/2025

09/12/2025

Midwifery care =fewer infant emergency visits. Thanks Canada for the study and the model of care! Whole paper here https://obgyn.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1471-0528.18346?campaign=wolearlyview

09/12/2025

✨ We’re Hiring: Medical Billing & Records Coordinator (Remote, PRN) ✨

Being & Born Midwifery is looking for the right person to join our team behind the scenes. This role is all about supporting families as they welcome their new babies by taking care of the important paperwork and billing that keeps their care flowing smoothly.

This is a professional, administrative position — perfect for someone with experience in medical billing and records management. (This is not a clinical role or a pathway into doula or midwifery work.)

📌 Role Highlights:
• Remote, PRN position (~15–20 hrs/month)
• $25–30/hr depending on experience
• Flexible schedule: steady weekly block + a few hours after births as needed
• Work that directly helps families by managing billing, claims, and compliance

📝 What You’ll Do:
• Review charts, assign ICD-10 & CPT codes, and generate superbills
• File out-of-network claims through a clearinghouse and track reimbursements
• File birth certificates and follow up on newborn screening results
• Handle lab/ultrasound orders and manage client paperwork

✅ What We’re Looking For:
• Experience with out-of-network billing and claims
• Familiarity with OB/GYN, pediatrics, or family practice
• Detail-oriented, organized, and comfortable working independently

If you’re a medical billing professional looking for flexible, meaningful remote work, we’d love to hear from you. Together, we can make the path smoother for families choosing home birth.

📧 Apply by sending your resume to: Chloe@beingandborn.com

Cute baby by Brogan Cabrera Metcalf

08/27/2025

🌿 Three mothers. Three families. Three sacred yeses. 🌿

I’m honored to share that three new mamas have chosen home birth care with me. Each decision is a powerful act of trust—in their bodies, in their babies, and in the birth process.

Choosing home birth isn’t about opting out—it’s about opting in. Opting into personalized care, evidence-based safety, and birth as a transformational threshold.

Every “yes” to home birth is also a “yes” to writing a new story for motherhood and family life. And I can’t wait to walk alongside these women as they prepare to meet their little ones. 💫

08/27/2025

✨ Four babies. Four thresholds crossed. ✨

Since the end of June, four incredible mothers have brought their babies earthside at home. Each one strong, courageous, and steady in the fire of labor. Each baby, pure sweetness—cute as pie. 🥧💕

I’ve been quieter here, but behind the scenes life has been full of birth, care, and transformation.

Home birth is never just about the moment of delivery. It’s about women stepping into their power, families being reshaped, and stories that will be told for generations.

To the mothers: your courage humbles me.
To the babies: welcome to the world.
To the work: you remind me every time—birth changes everything.

08/21/2025

We are saddened to hear news of the passing of Michel Odent, whose vision and writing reshaped the way we understand human birth.

Michel Odent reminded us that birth is not a medical procedure to be controlled, but a primal rythm to be respected. He advocated for home-like maternity units, warm water births, protecting the birthing woman's privacy and honouring her instincts, undisturbed contact between mother and newborn; he was among the first to discuss the importance of the microbiome, and question many of the practices that had (and have) become normalised in overmedicalised maternity systems globally.

Michel Odent's legacy lives on in every dimmed, quiet birthing room, and in every midwife his words and work inspired to join our profession.

Thank you, Michel, for your passion, vision and committment to women and newborns.

Photo: Xavier Caré / Wikimedia Commons / CC-BY-SA