Mindset & Emotions

A few months ago I was doing GREAT! I had consistency and was showing up in ALL the places, our home was running pretty smoothly and homeschool was moving along at a nice pace. I had routines that were working great for all of us and I was on top of the world. Until I wasn’t. In a week I lost all that momentum and am still working through this episode of procrastination. So here is the thing, sometimes I think we get good at doing all the things and then we throw a wrench in it just because we are making positive progress..

I remember my reaction to my second pregnancy (first child) so well. The excitement was so hard to contain and trying to keep the secret until we were ready to share was SO HARD. But the worst part for me was the fear that I was going to do something that would jeopardize my pregnancy in some way. I was in better shape than ever and working out daily, well at least until I let the fear stop me anyways. So I quit doing everything but walking and hiking easy trails and I also went off my bread strike which did nothing for my weight gain. I wanted to live in a bubble. 

With more women looking to birth differently these days I see this question asked a lot. If you are looking to hire a midwife there are a few things to think about before you get to the interview stage. I think that we all want to choose a midwife like we have been choosing doctors over the past decades but that really isn’t an option if you want your needs met. If you choose your midwife by location, fees, and availability alone then you may be disappointed in the service you receive.

Are you a mom who is considering a homebirth but your husband says no? You're not alone! In this blog post, I'll share how I got my homebirth with my husband and how you can too. Keep reading for tips on how to get your partner to see that homebirth is the right choice for you. I remember when I wanted my first homebirth and the long conversations trying to convince my husband that this was the way to go. We even met with a midwife, had all our questions answered, and she aligned with our beliefs in all areas of pregnancy and childbirth. He still wasn’t on board, and it wasn’t about concern for me, which may be the block you are dealing with.

Man if this isn’t a topic that comes across my feed daily! If you are pregnant, FTM or planning your next, I’m sure it has crossed your mind too. From my experience most women believe that having a baby has to be painful. It’s understandable, given our sources, that pain is pretty much the biggest part of having a baby that women worry about. I have been there too, trust me, with my first homebirth I had back labor and I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.

January of this year marks 8 years since I gave in to having a scheduled c-section. This was something I didn’t want and, to be honest, I didn’t think it was necessary, even with my daughter being breech. See, my OBGYN had criticized me, belittled me, and just plain torn me down throughout my entire pregnancy, including pushing the topic of a c-section from 4 months on. When I caved it was because I had no support or knowledge of what was possible, and, to be completely honest, I wanted my OBGYN out of my life...

During the second trimester you will probably be asked to take a glucose test where they will have you drink a beverage, often referred to as Glucola, consisting of 50 grams of sugar. After drinking the beverage you are made to wait an hour and then have your blood drawn to see how your body reacted to the sugar. What they won’t tell you about this test is…

If you have ever experienced prodromal labor you probably understand exactly where this question came from. When you are nearing the end of your pregnancy and things start to happen, you get excited and think okay I’m having a baby today. And then it stops, you go all day or night with no signs of what you thought was the beginning stages of labor. Then it’s back and you are again excited and ready for things to progress only to have it stop AGAIN! You might be thinking, "What is the meaning of this, it’s torture and I just want to have my baby?!?" 

There are some pretty significant differences between an OBGYN, your standard pregnancy care provider, and a midwife, meaning “with woman”. What is the standard of care that you want through your pregnancy and childbirth journey? What do you want your experience to be like? We have all been to the doctor’s office at some point in our lives and I’m sure that this first difference I share will make perfect sense to pretty much anyone. So let’s get started...

Many women question their ability to birth their babies without the assistance of some form of medication to help them “handle” what they perceive will be painful. But why do we look outside of ourselves when asking this question? I see so many women sharing how they told their doctor that they want an unmedicated birth only to have their doctor tell them “Oh honey, you don’t want to do that!”  Who are they to decide that for ANYONE?