SooozDoula

07/23/2025

Here's a great manual to labor!
This powerful side-by-side illustration reveals the critical role of cervical dilation in the birthing process. As labor progresses, the cervix thins and opens to allow the baby’s passage through the birth canal. A remarkable testament to the body’s natural design, this visual captures the incredible transition from womb to world.
Here’s a breakdown of the stages of cervical dilation:
1. Early Labor (0-3 cm):
- Cervix: Begins to dilate from 0 to 3 cm.
- Contractions: Mild and irregular. These may last 30-45 seconds and occur every 5 to 30 minutes.
- Duration: This stage can last hours or even days, especially for first-time mothers.
2. Active Labor (4-7 cm):
- : Dilates more rapidly from 4 to 7 cm.
- Contractions: Stronger, more regular, and closer together (every 3-5 minutes, lasting about 45-60 seconds).
- Duration: Typically lasts 4-8 hours.
3. Transition (8-10 cm):
- Cervix: Completes dilation from 8 to 10 cm.
- Contractions: Very strong and close together (every 2-3 minutes, lasting 60-90 seconds).
- Duration: This is the shortest but most intense phase, lasting 30 minutes to 2 hours.
4. Complete Dilation (10 cm):
- Cervix: Fully dilated at 10 cm, allowing the baby to move through the birth canal.
- Pushing Stage: Once fully dilated, the mother will begin pushing until the baby is born.
Factors Influencing Dilation:
- Parity: Women who have had previous vaginal births may dilate more quickly.
- Contractions: Effective, strong contractions aid faster dilation.
- Position and Size of Baby: The baby's position can affect how quickly the cervix dilates.
- Emotional State: Stress or anxiety can slow down labor.
Monitoring cervical dilation helps healthcare providers assess the progress of labor and make decisions about care.

06/20/2025

We've come a long way, baby!

06/17/2025

Babies are always a great source of inspiration!

06/17/2025

Babies offer inspiration everywhere!

05/13/2025

Have you ever wondered what your baby was trying to communicate to you? This is fascinating and totally accurate!

Babies can actually talk. According to Priscilla Dunstan- this applies to babies 0-3 months. Watch what she revealed to Oprah - The 5 baby criesNo more secre...

05/12/2025

Imagine the junk fees associated with a skycot! Totally worth it though! Babies would fly in ‘skycots’ that were approved on some airlines. The skycot was attached to the overhead luggage bin, with children placed inside for the journey’s duration. 1950s.

05/05/2025

Did you know that when a woman is pregnant, some of her baby’s cells actually enter her body and stay there for years—even decades? This fascinating phenomenon is called fetal-maternal microchimerism.
During pregnancy, fetal cells travel through the placenta into the mother’s bloodstream, and some even make their way into her organs, tissues, bones, and brain. These cells can remain long after birth, leaving a lasting imprint on the mother’s body. And this doesn’t just happen with full-term pregnancies—these cells are transferred even during miscarriages or abortions.
Even more incredible, research has shown that these fetal cells aren’t just passive guests. If a mother’s heart is injured, for example, fetal cells have been found to migrate to the damaged area and transform into heart-specific cells to help repair the tissue. In a powerful way, the baby helps heal the mother, just as the mother nourishes and grows the baby.
This two-way relationship might even explain why some illnesses or symptoms improve during pregnancy. The mother’s body fiercely protects the baby, and in return, the baby contributes to the mother’s well-being.
Ever had strange cravings during pregnancy? It’s thought that the baby may play a role in signaling what nutrients the mother might need more of—yet another way the baby supports her.
In one study, researchers discovered fetal cells still present in a mother’s brain 18 years after giving birth. It could help explain why many mothers report an almost psychic connection with their children, sensing their emotions or well-being even when apart.
Science is now uncovering what many moms have always felt: the connection between mother and child runs far deeper than we ever imagined.

04/22/2025

This is pretty wild!
Record-breaking twins born from 30-year-old frozen embryos — their mom is only 3 years older than that.
In an incredible twist of modern reproductive science, twins Timothy and Lydia Ridgeway were born from embryos frozen in 1992 — making them the oldest known embryos to result in a successful live birth.
Their mother, Rachel Ridgeway, was just three years old at the time the embryos were frozen. The embryos, adopted by Rachel and her husband Philip through the National Embryo Donation Center, had been in storage for three decades before being implanted. Despite their age, two of the three transferred embryos developed, and the twins were born healthy in October 2022.
The Ridgeways, who are devout Christians and already parents to four children, saw embryo adoption as a meaningful extension of their family and faith. They deliberately chose embryos from the "special consideration" section—often overlooked due to potential genetic risks—and were undeterred by the embryos' age. Their story isn’t just about a medical milestone, but also about embracing non-traditional paths to parenthood. As they plan to make adoption part of their twins’ identity, the Ridgeways highlight the personal and ethical dimensions of fertility, choice, and love in the age of advanced reproductive technology.
https://www.businessinsider.com/twins-born-30-years-after...

03/14/2025

Super cool!
Babies in the womb can signal to their mothers for extra food using genes from their dads.
This fascinating mechanism, uncovered by scientists at Cambridge, involves a paternal gene that influences hormonal signals from the placenta. Essentially, the fetus uses this gene to manipulate the mother's body into releasing more nutrients, creating a "nutritional tug of war" where the mother must balance the needs of the growing fetus with her own health and future reproductive potential.
The placenta plays a key role in this process, acting as a communication hub between the fetus and the mother. By releasing specific hormones, the placenta signals the mother's body to prioritize the baby's growth, ensuring it receives sufficient glucose and fats.
This intricate system is orchestrated by imprinted genes, which can be switched on or off depending on whether they are inherited from the mother or the father. Paternal genes tend to promote fetal growth, while maternal genes tend to limit it, reflecting an evolutionary balance between the needs of the offspring and the mother's survival.
One such paternal gene, Igf2, provides instructions for making a protein similar to insulin that promotes fetal growth and development. When this gene is deleted in the placenta's signaling cells, the mother doesn't release enough nutrients into her circulation, resulting in growth restriction in the fetus.
This reveals the crucial role of Igf2 in regulating the mother's metabolism and ensuring adequate nutrient supply to the developing baby.
Learn more: https://www.cam.ac.uk/.../unborn-babies-use-greedy-gene...

03/07/2025

Squirrels are naturally nurturing animals, primarily focused on raising their own young. However, there have been cases where they adopt and care for orphaned or abandoned baby squirrels.
This behavior is most commonly seen in female squirrels, who may take in orphaned babies and raise them as their own. Some possible reasons for this include:
1. Loss of their own litter – A mother squirrel that has lost her own babies may adopt orphans to fulfill her maternal instincts.
2. Strong maternal drive – Female squirrels have an instinctive urge to care for young, which may lead them to take in abandoned babies.
3. Social bonding – Since squirrels are social animals, adopting orphans could help strengthen connections within their community.
While this behavior is most often seen in female squirrels, there have also been rare instances where male squirrels have been observed caring for orphaned babies.

02/22/2025

Fascinating stuff to consider during labor! I'm always talking about how your mouth is connected to your perineum and this explains it beautifully.
From birth, your tongue is actually connected to your toes through an intricate network of connective tissue known as fascia.
If your tongue is not resting correctly in your mouth due to mouth breathing, things can get out of alignment in your mouth and the rest of your body.
Tongue posture can lead to a foot imbalance and vice versa because the tongue guides all myofascial continuity structures that run from the inner arch of the foot up through the middle of the body to the tongue and jaw muscles.
When the tongue sits on top of the palate, it seals the oral cavity and holds the throat open like a tent. These muscles support the neck, keep your posture straight, help you breathe, and maintain your posture upright.
Your tongue also acts as a rudder and support system through a fascial line, and when the tongue is down, we breathe through our mouth, and the head falls forward due to lack of support, which leads to poor posture and increased energy expenditure.

02/17/2025

For those that have relied on this method for conception, it is true breakthrough!
When the Nobel Prize for in vitro fertilisation (IVF) was announced, thousands of greetings poured in for the scientist behind its development, Robert Edwards:
"Congratulations - my partner & I are about to go into IVF. Without you we would have no hope. You have given hope to millions. Thank you."
IVF is a medical procedure whereby an egg is fertilised by s***m outside the body. More than 10% of all couples worldwide are infertile and today millions of individuals have been born thanks to IVF. Edwards explained how eggs mature and how s***m is activated. In cooperation with Patrick Steptoe he found a method for removing eggs from the ovaries, and with Jean Purdy he found a way to achieve fertilisation outside the body.
On this day in 1969, the results were presented in the journal Nature and in 1978 the first child was born as a result of IVF. 'In vitro' means a process taking place in a test tube, culture dish, or elsewhere outside a living organism.
Learn more about Edwards: https://bit.ly/3rcP9nB