Moonlight Midwifery Care

Moonlight Midwifery Care Homebirth midwifery practice with over 50 years combined experience. Caring for the heart and safety of each mother and baby...

09/01/2025

“They told you about the contractions but did they tell you about the expansion?
Did they tell you how your body would open to make way for the whole universe to pass through?
Did they tell you how your heart would explode with a love bigger than anything you’ve ever known as you pulled your baby to your chest

They told you about the ring of fire but did they tell you about the crown of stars?
Did they mention that there is a moment when your baby enters the world and you leave your body and touch the heavens and become the light of a million galaxies?
Did they tell you how the pain of stretching to receive your child would be more exquisite than any sensation you’ve felt?

They told you you would scream but did they tell you about how you would roar?
Did they tell you about the power that would rise up from your belly as you called your baby forth with your mighty voice?
Did they tell you how you would embody the wild woman within you and breathe fire with your song?

They told you you would bleed but did they tell you how that sacred blood wouldn’t scare you?
How you would feel grateful for that magical liquid of life as it trickled down your leg?
How you would honor its flow and how it would help you heal a lifetime of hating your body’s bleeding cycles?

They told you these stories and taught you to fear birth, to fear your power, to fear yourself.
But you’re stronger and wiser than that mama.
You know that birth is your divine dance, your soul’s song, your moment with God, and you walk fearlessly into her open arms.”

~ Catie Atkinson
on Instagram

Art: Paz Treuquil, “Pulliwen”

https://www.paztreuquil.com/

NOTE: Not all pregnancies and births are the same. Some are fraught with complications, trauma, and heartache. Our hearts go out to these with compassion, support, and love.
💞Rebekah

09/01/2025

Let’s talk about waking a sleeping baby. It used to be common to recommend waking a newborn under 2 weeks old every 3 hours to feed. Why? We except babies to lose up to 7-8% of their birth weight in the first 3-4 days and then regain it by 10-14 days. Many hospital staff still recommend this with the expectation that at baby’s 2 week check up, the pediatrician would give the go ahead to let baby sleep as long as they wanted based off regained weight. This is based on research that newborns typically breastfeed a MINIMUM of 8 times in 24 hours (most breastfed babies eat 10-16 times in 24 hours). In reality, if a newborn is feeding well (pain free latch, audible swallows noted, engaged during feedings), if they are gaining weight and peeing/pooping, there’s no reason to wake them to feed. Even from birth. Babies are exhausted from labor as much as you are and sleep is a good thing to recover.

Reasons to wake a baby to feed:
⚖️Lost more than 10% of their birth weight
🍯 Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar)
⚖️Struggling to gain weight
👅Not efficiently feeding due to tongue ties or an uncoordinated suck
😞Moderate to severe jaundice
🚑Certain medical conditions
💊 Side effects of certain medications is making baby drowsy

Waking a baby to eat because of feeding, jaundice, or weight concerns would be done TEMPORARILY and under the guidance of a team of health care providers. If a pediatrician is recommending to wake baby, and the goal is breastfeeding, they should refer the family to an IBCLC lactation consultant or have the family come into the office for multiple weight checks to stop waking as soon as feeding is on track. Many times a triple feeding plan would be put into place (attempt to latch, pump and supplement) to help establish milk supply and keep baby fed until baby becomes more efficient at feeding. This usually happens within the first 2-3 weeks after birth. Once baby is waking on their own, gaining weight and consistently feeding efficiently, there is no need to wake baby to feed and the triple feeding should be weaned off.

07/07/2025

Letting a baby cry it out might sound like tough love but science says it’s tougher on the baby than anyone else.

Research now shows that ignoring a crying infant or frequently leaving them to self-soothe without comfort can have real consequences not just emotionally, but neurologically. A large-scale Japanese study involving over 100,000 mother-child pairs found a clear link between chronic non-response during infancy and developmental delays. These included setbacks in communication, social interaction, motor coordination, and even problem-solving abilities.

But it doesn’t stop at developmental skills.

When babies cry for extended periods without comfort, their bodies release large amounts of cortisol, the primary stress hormone. And while short-term stress responses are natural, prolonged elevated cortisol levels can disrupt brain development, particularly in regions responsible for emotional regulation, memory, and attachment.

This early emotional stress may also lead to weaker caregiver bonds, and increases the risk of anxiety, aggression, and lower IQ later in life. The baby learns not just that their needs won’t be met but that the world may not be safe or responsive at all.

Comforting a crying baby isn’t about spoiling them it’s about building their brain, shaping secure attachment, and laying the groundwork for emotional resilience. Every time you respond with love, you’re not just calming a cry you’re wiring a healthier future.

06/27/2025

It takes a lot of energy to create life, and scientists are saying it takes significantly more than they originally believed.

Research shows that pregnancy demands 50,000 dietary calories over the course of nine months, 96% of that energy is required entirely from the mother. FYI, that’s roughly 50 pints of Ben & Jerry’s 🍦

Mamas and soon-to-be-mamas? Take a nap—this. is. not. easy!

👉 Study published in the journal Science, reported by The New York Times

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Willimantic, CT
06226

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