Informed consent is a hot topic lately, and for good reason. The principle at the heart of informed consent is to ensure that people have autonomy over their own bodies and health care. When enforced, it gives us the right to make informed decisions about our health care, including whether or not to undergo a test, procedure, or treatment. In this blog post, we will discuss what informed consent means for women and families, ways you can enforce it in your care, and how it impacts your health care.
Informed consent is the legal process by which a person
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June 6th is International Homebirth Day – as I saw others share their experiences in celebration, I too reflected on my own homebirths. Homebirth was an amazing experience for me and my family, and it set the course for our lives in a very different direction. Homebirth is becoming more and more popular around the world, as families are beginning to see the benefits of giving birth at home. In this blog post, we will discuss why homebirth is such an important experience for families, and how including your children in the process can change the way the world sees homebirth.
When I had my first child, I did what many first-time parents do – I followed the recommendations of my doctor and had my baby via a scheduled c-section in the hospital. It was not the experience that I had imagined for myself. While I was grateful.......
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There's no denying that pregnancy and childbirth are amazing, life-changing experiences. For many women, becoming a parent is the best thing that's ever happened to them. If you're one of those women who loves everything about pregnancy and childbirth, then becoming a birthkeeper may be the perfect career choice for you.
What is a birthkeeper? A birthkeeper is someone who helps to guide and support a woman through pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum, more than a doula and yet not a midwife. They are also known as traditional birth attendants. You will generally find that a Birthkeeper......
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You are not alone on your journey and I myself was unable to conceive for over twelve years, where I wasn’t on contraceptives or doing anything to prevent pregnancy. During those twelve years, I was in a few different relationships that were anywhere from a year and a half up to six years. The problem had to be with me right?
I felt like I was never going to be the mom I had dreamed of being and that I was destined to spend my life alone. Was I broken? What had I done wrong? Was I to blame? I had a lot of thoughts and feelings that I needed to work through as I’m sure you have experienced yourself if you have had your own struggles with infertility.
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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. My fear was tangible and I let it control so many things that I wish I hadn’t. Living in that space made my experience less than ideal and more vulnerable than I already was being pregnant and all. Don’t let fear control your experience the way I did, here are three ways that I have found to decrease your fear and create a pregnancy experience you will want to relive over and over again.
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