5 Birth Affirmations for Your VBAC

If you've hung around my blog at all, you know I love birth affirmations. I love how changing your language can literally change your brain and shift your experiences. This is especially true for one of my favorite categories of people: moms pursuing a vaginal birth after a cesarean. After having my own experience with…

What Made Me a Doula: Part One

This is a birth story. But actually, it's more than that. It's the first chapter in the story of how I discovered my passion for birth work. It's an integral part of who I am, as most birth experiences are to the people who live them. In the summer of 2015 I was pregnant with…

Here’s Why ACOG Recommends Doulas

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists frequently updates their committee opinions and recommendations as they gain new knowledge and listen to consumer (that's you!) demand. In the most recent update to the Committee Opinion titled, "Approaches to Limit Intervention During Labor and Birth," there are several recommendations that reflect the growing demand from birthing…

How to Talk to Your Provider About a Family-Centered Cesarean

More and more, women are requesting family-centered, or gentle, cesarean sections. With the number of c-section births on the rise, there are a number of ways in which some providers are helping to facilitate a more gentle cesarean experience. Whether you are planning a vaginal delivery or scheduling a c-section, it may be worth having…

The First Weeks After Your VBAC: What You Should Expect

If you are preparing for a vaginal birth after cesarean, it can sometimes feel as if you are preparing for your first birth experience all over again. The unknowns of what to expect with a vaginal delivery and recovery (on top of caring for another child) can be a little overwhelming. Depending on how far…

Hospitals to Home Births: Where Should I Have My Baby?

There was a time when most women had their babies at home with their families, a midwife, or their friends. Then in the last half of the 20th century, it became almost unthinkable that a woman should give birth anywhere besides a hospital. In recent years, more and more women are beginning their pregnancies with…