Natural Birth in the Desert - Angela Roberts

09/09/2021

If you're here, congrats are in order! This is an exciting time in your life. I'm here to teach you everything you didn't know you needed about pregnancy, birth and postpartum. Feel free to message me about questions you have or resources you need.

02/07/2020

New Year New baby? If you're pregnant you've come to the right place! Birth classes ongoing. Please contact me for more info!

09/12/2019

A peek inside a pregnant women's body. This is an amazing photo.

09/09/2019

Print this out and put it in your hospital bag! Sometimes, KNOWING something and actually DOING it are different. We can talk about these phrases but as soon as the chaos of a hospital hits, we forget everything we learned. I'm guilty of that too. Having something like this handy can keep you grounded and give you confidence to advocate for yourself.

09/06/2019

This is incredible! The bond between parent and baby is tangible and scientific, as well as emotional and spiritual. Don't hinder that chemical reaction with synthetic interventions! Let you body and baby's body connect how nature intended.

This is the world’s first ever magnetic resonance image showing a mother and child’s bond.
The image is of neuroscientist Rebecca Saxe kissing her two month old son.

The child’s brain appears to be smoother and darker. This is because it has significantly less white matter. White matter is comprised of myelin, which is fatty tissue that acts as insulation for the wires that communicate messages inside your brain.

The activations in the image do not refer to the act of kissing but to the organisation of functional activity in infant brains when viewing meaningful images.

Kissing causes a chemical reaction in your brain, including a burst of the hormone oxytocin. Oxytocin is often referred to as the ‘love hormone’ because it stirs up feelings of affection and attachment.

Kissing activates the brain’s reward system; releasing dopamine which makes us feel good. It also releases vasopressin which bonds mothers with babies and romantic partners to each other. It also releases serotonin which helps to regulate our mood.

09/05/2019

Babies are so intuitive! We don't give them enough credit for their humanity and understanding.

09/04/2019

Are you loving your pregnancy? Or wishing it was over? I've been on both sides of the fence. No matter what you're feeling, this time is (relatively) short. Try to relish it.

❤️

08/29/2019

Rather than fixating on a date, why don't we look at a Due Month? "Baby will come sometime within these 4 weeks" The average gestational age for a first time mom with spontaneous delivery is 41 weeks! There's no rush! Let baby pick her birthday.

08/26/2019

It only takes about 1 minute for the cord to go white! It's no big deal to wait for the blood to pump into baby's body. Rather than banking that cord blood, how about you just give it to baby?

DELAYED CORD CLAMPING - WAIT FOR WHITE
After baby is born we usually think of the umbilical cord as a relic – part a life support system that is no longer needed. But the reality is that the cord has one last job to do, and it’s a big one.

The cord and placenta are a sort of external circulation system: one vein carries oxygen and nutrient-rich blood from the placenta to the baby, and two arteries carry carbon dioxide rich blood and waste away from baby to the placenta for purification. When baby is born, about 1/3 of its blood is in the external part of the circulation system, but quickly makes it’s way to the baby via the umbilical cord. Unless of course, the cord is cut before the transfer is complete.

Delayed umbilical cord clamping (DCC) allows more blood to transfer from the placenta to the baby, increasing the baby’s blood volume by up to a third.

The iron in the blood increases the newborn’s iron storage, which is vital for healthy brain development.

Some new studies have found that DCC can have a positive effect on both preterm and full-term babies. These benefits include an increase in placental transfusion, a 60% increase of RBCs and a 30% increase in neonatal blood volume.

Another advantage of DCC is the decreased risk of iron deficiency anemia.
The extra blood at birth helps the baby to cope better with the transition from life in the womb, where everything is provided for them by the placenta and the mother, to the outside world. Their lungs get more blood so that the exchange of oxygen into the blood can take place smoothly.

Delayed clamping also results in an infusion of stem cells, which play an essential role in the development of the immune, respiratory, cardiovascular, and central nervous systems, among many other functions. The concentration of stem cells in fetal blood is higher than at any other time of life. ICC [immediate cord clamping] leaves nearly one-third of these critical cells in the placenta.

Stem cells may also help to repair any brain damage the baby might have suffered during a difficult birth. 📸

08/23/2019

Lack of engagement is one reason for a long labor. Spinning Babies is great for re-positioning baby during pregnancy and in labor.

Lack of engagement is a common issue for those who labor but baby stays high in the pelvis. These simple engagement techniques can help labor to progress.