Joyful Birth Services

03/03/2023

There is more to labor than how open your cervix is!!

Follow for more on pregnancy, birth, and beyond!

Your cervix is only one part of your birth —how open it is, or dilation, is not a predictor or labor onset nor labor progress.

Learn more about how to assess labor progress without a cervical exam AND how you can use exams as tools to help you navigate your birth in our online childbirth education course!

Explore our course at MamasteFit.com/childbirth

07/23/2022

Wow! ❤

04/27/2022

Put them in water or take them outside...definitely works every time ❤

“Put them in water or take them outside.”

It was the first useful parenting advice I ever got.

“Sleep when the baby sleeps”?

I think the polite word for that gem is poppycock. But this particular axiom has saved me many times over.

I don’t remember how old my son was when I called my mom in tears because I couldn’t stop his, but his age was probably measured in weeks. Maybe days.

“Nothing is working; I don’t know what else to try,” I sobbed.

“He’s not hungry or sleepy or wet.”

“Try giving him a bath,” she suggested. “Or bundle him up and take him outside for some fresh air. I always say to take them outside or put them in water, and usually, the grumpiness goes away.”

It worked that day, and it’s worked many times since. We’ve done baths at 10 a.m. I’ve paced our driveway with a baby in my arms at 2 a.m. And today, at 5:15 p.m. when my children were fighting for the 17th time since they got home from school and I was about to lose it, instead I put one in the bath and I sent the other outside and now maybe all three of us will survive until Dad gets home.

Almost nine years later, it still works.

I can’t give you advice about sleep schedules or feedings or Montessori-approved toys. I don’t know what we’re gonna do about TikTok and Snapchat in a few years. But when they’re falling apart at the seams for no apparent reason, take them outside or put them in water.

Oh, and it works on grown-ups, too.

Shared with permission from Jenn Batchelor
https://www.instagram.com/jennbatchelor/

Her View From Home

☀️🌻 For support in your gentle parenting journey, pick up a copy of our beautiful bumper summer issue with gorgeous free Baby's First Year Journal. Grab your copy from supermarkets throughout NZ and newsagents throughout Australia! To find your local stockist, or to subscribe, visit https://linktr.ee/TheNaturalParentMagazine ☀️🌻

01/10/2022

At birth, ⅓ (or more) of your baby’s blood is still in the placenta.

That means if you immediately cut the cord, your baby is missing A LOT of blood.

If you were missing ⅓ (33%) of your blood, your heart and respiratory rates would increase, your blood pressure would drop, and you would become anxious and confused. If you lost 40% of your blood, all those symptoms would be worse and you would become lethargic.

If you lost more than 40% you would die.

So how long should you wait after birth to clamp the cord?

Ideally you would “wait for white”. This means the cord isn’t clamped until it has stopped pulsing and turned white because all of the blood is now inside the baby. This is usually over 5 minutes (I’ve waited until the birth of the placenta with my two homebirths [about an hour]).

But delaying cord clamping for even 60 seconds has been shown to have benefits including:

🔆 Increased hemoglobin
🔆 Increased iron
🔆 Increased blood pressure (early clamping means BP can be too low)
🔆 Increased urinary output
🔆 Increased body temperature (early clamping babies are colder)

If baby is having a slower transition to breathing outside the womb upon their birth, keeping them attached to the cord will also continue to provide them with oxygen until they begin breathing on their own.

12/25/2021

What a great depiction of what happens in peaceful transition after birth

・・・
Look for these transitional cues when your baby is born.

✨ The Birth Cry- Did you know this was part of their transition? Your baby is clearing their lungs & transitioning from water breather to air breather.

✨ The Relaxing- Once your baby has told you they are here they will relax. Their mouth, body & hands will relax and be still. This is a very important piece of transition. Often parents, & providers, think a baby should continue to cry, but it is ok, take a breath & relax with your baby.

✨ The Awakening- As with all things transitional times vary & babies are no different. About 3-4 mins after birth your baby will begin to awaken. This is demonstrated by opening of their eyes, bobbing their heads & moving their shoulders.

✨ The Active Stage- About 8-9 mins. after birth a baby will become more active. This occurs with increased mouth movements, rooting, or their hands going to their mouths. They will also begin to actively hunt for the breast.

✨ Resting- All of this transitional activity is hard work. A baby may choose to rest during one or more of the transitional stages. Resting will often occur after the initial hunt for the breast.

✨ Crawling- It is not an actual crawl, but a scooting towards the breast. This will usually occur between 30 mins & an hour after the birth and will often be mixed with more aggressive rooting.

✨ Familiarizing- Often mixed with the crawling efforts now your baby will begin to kneed and lick the breast or their own hand. Their tongues will begin to protrude and they will do as this stage suggests, become familiar with their new best friend.

✨ Nursing- This stage usually occurs right around 1 hr after birth. It is where your baby begins actively sucking. There will often be a stop start period. Give them time. It won’t be long until they are rather permanently attached.

✨ Recovering - Finally the recovering or sleeping stage is here. This transition took a lot of work and now your baby needs to rest. 1 1/2-2 hours after birth your baby will fall asleep. Hopefully you can too.

Posted •
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12/17/2021

Never heard this ever happening before! Auto-pilot 🤪

Auto-driving has its critics but I'm guessing this baby won't grow up to be one of them:

11/11/2021

Great tip!

If your baby is draining the breast well and is not hurting you, then pumping is most likely NOT the best way to increase your supply. Try switch nursing instead!!

For more on this: https://themilkmeg.com/the-single-most-effective-way-to-increase-your-supply/

*3 minutes is the maximum timeframe. You might find that switching sooner will work better for you and your baby.

10/21/2021

Some alternate information for anyone facing a GBS positive result, probiotics can help! Original post in comments (when I "shared" this it only posted the study and not the original post where I saw this study and I found her words very valuable. )

This study is to examine the effect of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GR-1 and Lactobacillus reuteri RC-14 taken orally before bedtime on Group B Streptococc…

09/16/2021

Have your ever struggled with PPD? Here is how placenta encapsulation can help!

Contact me with any questions and to reserve your space on my schedule for encapsulation services 🌻

In the last trimester, the placenta begins to secrete a corticotropin-releasing hormone, or CRH, which enables the mother to mentally and physically handle extreme amounts of stress; by the time of birth, most mothers have up to three times their pre-pregnancy levels of CRH[1] (or what we like to call the super-hero hormone).

I clearly remember wandering around my home in the postpartum period, unable to figure out how to accomplish my daily tasks because of an inability to act decisively in the presence of normal toddler activity, mess, and demands.

The ability to multi-task, overcome problems, and discover new solutions when obstacles arise are all skills directly affected by CRH hormones.

When the placenta is born, the feedback system that regulated the hormone’s production is interrupted, and the mother is left with only the CRH production of the hypothalamus. Because of this, postpartum mothers have low levels of this stress-fighting hormone making them more vulnerable to depression and less able to perform well under stress.

Studies from the National Institute of Health have found that consuming the placenta stimulates and stabilizes CRH levels. Endocrinologist George Chrousos, who led the NIH study, concluded that since the placenta contains large amounts of orally-active CRH, ingesting the placenta will stabilize CRH levels resulting in “a more stable emotional life for the mother.”[2]

[1] Chrousos, G. “Baby Blues-Postpartum Depression Attributed to Low Levels of Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone After Placenta Is Gone.” Brief Bnet., 1995.

[2] Makrigiannakis A, Zoumakis E, Kalantaridou S, Chrousos G. “Endometrial and Placental CRH As Regulators of Human Embryo Implantation.” Journal of Reproductive Immunology. 62(1-2), 2004, pp 53-9.

06/26/2021

It’s when the sun is setting & a lump forms in my throat because I don’t know what the night will bring. It’s when she’s crying hysterically as I try to change her & I can feel my heart beginning to pound. It’s when she’s sleeping but I can’t hear her breathing. It’s when she vomits out of her nose & I rush to put her on her side as she takes a moment to unblock her airways. It’s when I put her in her car seat & worry that it’s too tight or too lose. It’s getting a beanie on her head & making sure I’m not too rough.

It’s looking in the mirror & trying really damn hard to appreciate what I see. It’s remembering to change my nappy, to change my pad, to change my breast pads. It’s trying to find clothes that fit, that are comfy & that are clean. Its the fact that I smell & am sweating all the time. It’s having to choose between eating, sleeping, cleaning or showering because I know I won’t have time for it all. It’s the dwindling of days that my partner has off before he goes back to work & trying my best not to feel jealous.

It’s not playing the comparison game. It’s not looking at the mums who already fit into their pre-baby jeans when I can’t even fit into the clothes I bought for post baby. It’s not looking at the mums who can brunch & sip coffee with friends when I can’t find the strength to leave the house.

It’s a lot. The newborn bubble is a lot. It’s not all bliss & breastfeeding in a field of golden reeds with butterflies dancing around your head. It’s not all cute outfits & getting to finish that Netflix series. It’s the small things. It’s the big things. It’s a lot.

You are allowed to say that it’s a lot. It does not mean you are not grateful. It does not mean you do not love your child. It does not make you any less of an incredible mother. All it means is that you are human. That you are human like me. Because it’s a lot for me & I need you to know you are not alone in this bubble & that I promise you that one day soon, that bubble will burst just like I promise you that the sun will rise. And it WILL rise, just like you will. 🌞

📸 and words:

06/25/2021

I'm feeling nostalgic. One of my children said "lasterday" instead of "yesterday". 💞

05/09/2021

Happy Mothers Day ❤🌷💐

Moms, hear us cheering loud for you as we shout into a megaphone: your self-sacrificing work is worship. 💙

It's not glamorous—wiping up the food on the floor beneath the high chair, endlessly bouncing a colicky and cranky baby, sending a sassy six-year-old to his room because another disrespectful remark tumbled from his mouth . . . again.

But it is sweet—snuggling a footie-pajama-wrapped toddler fresh out of the bath, sharing in their awe as they pet a puppy with wide-eyed delight, giggling as they bop to their favorite kid show theme song, cheering as he runs the bases at his baseball game or she twirls in a tutu at her ballet recital, standing back amazed as you witness their little wheels turn and they figure things out on their own.

Sometimes it's heartbreaking, too—Googling how to comfort a screaming newborn who refuses to sleep, realizing you're doing this on your own as a single mom, watching your teenager make bad decision after bad decision, holding her as she moves back home after a failed marriage.

And it's all Kingdom work. Your faithfulness, your love, your wisdom, your strength, your endurance and grit and determination and discipline and tenderness. It's a humble offering of daily worship.

However this Mother's Day meets you today . . . Sentimental and joyful, under-appreciated and longing for an uninterrupted nap, anxious and unsure about tomorrow, desperate for a vacation, or feeling like a monumental failure . . . the truth is this:

The Living Savior is your hope. Because He lives, we can mother with our roots firmly planted in the redemptive power of Jesus.

We celebrate you today, moms. We celebrate motherhood, in all its glory and gross-ness and goodness and grief. Meaningful, messy, hilarious, thankless, exhilarating, precious—motherhood is all of this and more, and we are proud of everything you are doing for your family.

But more importantly, Jesus sees you serving and struggling and loving.

He's the source of grace and strength that enables any of this Kingdom work to happen, so lean into Him. Learn hard. He invites every tired and joyful momma to come to Him and find rest. 💙

04/23/2021

That baby smell tho🙋‍♀️ 😍🥰❤

Are hats on newborns interfering with bonding?

Most of us who have had children cannot resist the sniff of a baby’s head, I spent hours drinking in the beautiful baby smell of my little ones and science suggests that is an important part of the bonding cycle.

A new study led by Kobe University Professor Mamiko Ozaki has become the first to identify the chemical makeup of the odors produced by newborn babies’ heads. The results shed more light on the olfactory importance of newborns’ heads in mother-baby and kin recognition. They also developed a non-invasive and stress-free method of sampling these odors directory from heads of the babies.

Five babies odours were sampled using this new technique. It was discovered that the odor samples from babies’ heads are more distinct from each other than those obtained from amniotic fluid and was strongest immediately after birth.

The odor profiles of Babies 1 and 2, which were collected within an hour after birth, looked less similar to each other than those of Babies 3, 4 and 5, which were collected 2 to 3 days after birth. These results suggest that a baby can strongly express its individuality through the odor soon after birth compared to a few days later.

The study looked at both the chemical and psychological aspects of the odors of babies’ heads and how this provides an important way for newborns to attract the attention of caregivers.

It is known that the smell of a newborn evokes a strong positive response and aids bonding , but in my local hospital every baby gets a colour coded hat (red hat indicating that the baby needs extra monitoring). No account is taken of this physical barrier put between a mother and her baby and how this breaks the hormonal and sensory feedback loop.

Everything that interferes with uninterrupted skin to skin in the early days disrupts the beautiful hormonal interplay band recognition between a mother and her baby and has an impact on bonding.

Were you encouraged to pop a hat on your baby immediately?

“Sampling, identification and sensory evaluation of odors of a newborn baby's head and amniotic fluid”
DOI：10.1038/s41598-019-49137-6

04/07/2021

This meme had me laughing. Have you ever had one of these days? 🤷‍♀️🤣

04/04/2021

♥️〰️♥️THE UMBILICAL CORD♥️〰️♥️

The umbilical cord is a conduit between the developing baby and the placenta. During prenatal development, the umbilical cord is physiologically and genetically part of the baby.

The umbilical contains 2️⃣ arteries(umbilical arteries), and 1️⃣ vein(umbilical vein), which are buried within Wharton's jelly that all beautifully form the umbilical cord.

The umbilical cord develops from the yolk sac🍳and allantois. It forms by the 5️⃣th week of pregnancy, replacing the yolk sac as the source of nutrients for the baby. The cord is not directly connected to the mother's circulatory system, but instead joins the placenta, which transfers materials to and from the maternal blood without allowing direct mixing🔀

The umbilical cord in a full term baby is usually about 20 inches long and about 0.75 inches in diameter📏

The blood flow through the umbilical cord is approximately 35 ml / min at 20 weeks, and 240 ml / min at 40 weeks of gestation. Adapted to the weight of the baby, this corresponds to 115 ml / min / kg at 20 weeks and 64 ml / min / kg at 40 weeks📚

The umbilical cord enters the baby via the abdomen, at the point which (after separation) will become the baby’s belly button🤗 Within the baby, the umbilical vein continues towards the transverse fissure of the liver, where it splits into two. One of these branches joins with the hepatic portal vein (connecting to its left branch), which carries blood into the liver. The second branch (known as the ductus venosus) bypasses the liver and flows into the inferior vena cava, which carries blood towards the heart. The two umbilical arteries branch from the internal iliac arteries, and pass on either side of the urinary bladder into the umbilical cord, completing the circuit back to the placenta😍

The umbilical vein supplies the baby with oxygenated, nutrient-rich blood from the placenta. The baby’s heart pumps deoxygenated, nutrient-depleted blood through the umbilical arteries and back to the placenta. 👈🏽THE UMBILICAL CORD IS PERFECTLY DESIGNED TO MAKE A GORGEOUS EXCHANGE OF GOOD THINGS COMING IN AND BAD THINGS GOING OUT🙌🏾

In absence of external interventions, the umbilical cord stops/closes up physiologically shortly after birth, explained both by a swelling and collapse of Wharton's jelly in response to a reduction in temperature and by vasoconstriction of the blood vessels by smooth muscle contraction. In effect, a natural clamp is created, halting the flow of blood. 👈🏽THE UMBILICAL CORD COLLAPSES ON ITS OWN AFTER BIRTH, ALLOWING YOUR BABY TO SURVIVE ON ITS OWN. THIS IS WHY WAITING TILL THE CORD IS COMPLETELY WHITE AND LIMP IS CRUCIAL FOR A SMOOTH TRANSITION AND RECEIVING ALL PLACENTAL BLOOD🙌🏾

www.lamazedoula.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/doulaviewllc

PhotoCred: The Nurturing Root

04/03/2021

This dad earns a gold star in my book!

When you teach hip squeezes to dad but it’s vocalized that mid back is still burning, you get this.

Gold star.

I shared this in a doula group and people went WILD with gratitude. 2k and climbing. ♥️

My doula account on IG is

03/14/2021

With a growing baby, this is totally me!

02/17/2021

Human breastmilk is teeming with bacteria.

Today I'll be going live at 7:00 pm CST on (Monday, Feb 15) to talk everything breastmilk critical to the growth of healthy teeth in our babies.

One of the recently appreciated benefits of breastmilk are that the mother directly passes her gut microbes to the child.
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The breastmilk microbiome is packaged to design the newborns oral-gut and entire microbiome.⠀
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When I see dental issues in children today, I now think back to issues they may have experienced in the womb.⠀
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During pregnancy a Mother experiences increasing intestinal permeability. Pregnancy seems to induce a degree of leaky gut. Transporting gut bacteria to the mother’s blood stream is necessary. From here they travel in special immune system packages to the mammary gland.⠀
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The milk microbiome is extremely diverse. The mother’s body orchestrates the packaging of microbes in breastmilk. It also profoundly changes during lactation.⠀
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The reality is that parents pass on their own microbial and immune legacy to our children.⠀
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In the mother, special immune cells carry microbes from the gut to the mammary glands. They are like a taskforce that handpick the microbes that will begin the ‘discussion’ with the newborn child’s mouth.⠀
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During the first few months of life, the newborn oral and gut microbiome are uncolonized from the outside world.⠀
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The oral microbiome is the first to be colonized, which then seeds the gut microbiome. Later these microbes become the child’s immune system.⠀
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Breastmilk provides the blueprint of microbes that will impression a child’s immune system.⠀
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Research is now linking changes in the newborn microbiome to allergies, obesity and type II diabetes.⠀
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If there is one thing I’m talking to parents about these days, is the profound impact your own health has on your child’s health.⠀
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A family share an entire microbiome and with it, a strong immune system, or a susceptibility to sickness.⠀
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A mother’s microbiome critically shapes the oral flora of a newborn. One of your first priorities for healthy kids is to care for the gut microbiome.⠀
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Did you notice gut issues during pregnancy? What about child dental issues?