Thursday, May 5, 2011 at 10:08PM Today is the International Day of the Midwife!
3 of my favorite midwives: Ellen, Joan, & Aki
If you haven't already, send your midwife an email thanking her for the work she does. She'll appreciate it. Promise.
midwifery Wednesday, April 13, 2011 at 09:14PM A new study was just published in the April issue of the Journal of Maternal-Fetal and Neonatal Medicine. In it, researchers explored the relationships between increased medical intervention in childbirth and health outcomes for mother and baby. Not surprisingly, they found no direct positive correlation between increased intervention and improved outcomes.
"Like virtually all medical therapies and procedures, these interventions entail some risk for the mother, and there is no evidence in this study that they benefit the baby," said Christopher Glantz, M.D., M.P.H., study author and professor of Maternal Fetal Medicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center. "In my mind, if you are getting the same outcome with high and low rates of intervention, I say 'Do no harm' and go with fewer interventions."
The moral of the story? If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Thursday, March 31, 2011 at 08:53PM Becky was the very first mama to hire me as a novice doula. With absolutely zero births under my belt, I will be forever grateful to her for taking a chance on me. I loved supporting her and her husband through their birth experience and to have had the privilege of helping them welcome their baby daughter, Willa, into the world.
Following is an excerpt of a testimonial she wrote on my behalf.
Since this was my first birth and I wanted to do it as naturally as possible in a birth center, I wanted to make sure that I covered all of my bases. When, at the end of my pregnancy, it looked like our birth plans were going the opposite way that we'd hoped for, Jo was instrumental in being a sounding board for our decision-making process. In addition, Jo provided a kind shoulder to cry/complain to about the lateness of the birth (I ended up being induced at 42 weeks). Her light massage touch, gentle coaching and encouragement eased the pain of my labor tremendously. She also knew when to ease off and hang back.
Her advice and availability for questions throughout the pregnancy and afterwards was wonderful. I believe that without her coaching, guidance and support, I would not have such positive feelings about my birth.
You can read the rest of her kind words on my profile at DoulaMatch.net.
kind words Tuesday, March 22, 2011 at 08:42PM Back before our daughter was born, we got lots of advice about food post-baby.
The two best pieces of advice were:
We did both of these things and, as I don't think we would've survived otherwise, I readily share this same advice with any soon-to-be mama who asks.
In the nearly year and a half since she was born, we still find #2 to be a family lifesaver. Yes, we have more time now than we did in those early weeks postpartum (duh) and we certainly have more independence now that she can entertain herself for short bursts of time, but we also both have jobs. And hobbies. And extracurricular commitments. And, frankly, don't like spending our little free time together as a trio in the kitchen. At least not every night.
So every couple of weeks, we dedicate a several hour chunk of time to cooking and get our freezer stuffed full of deliciousness.
Last night, my partner hit the kitchen to whip up one of our favorites -- Ethiopian Spicy Tomato Lentil Stew from Post-Punk Kitchen. I don't remember how we came across this recipe, but am I glad we did! Healthy, super hearty, and with just the right amount of flavor and kick, this is a great freezer food. Served over rice* or (even better!) quinoa, this will fill you up and make your family happy. Add some pita or naan on the side and you'll want to thank me later. Promise.
By the way, this dish is totally vegan, but it passes the omnivore test with flying colors. When my dad was visiting the week our kiddo was born, we served it to him -- a diehard, Midwestern meat-eater -- and he raved about how great it was. There is no better endorsement, really, as he generally considers our diet mostly "rabbit food."
Happy eating!
* Another quick-fix tip: Make your rice in large batches, then divide it out and wrap individual portions in cling wrap and freeze. The next time you're cooking (or rushing to work and looking for lunch), you can just pull one packet of rice and one tub of stew out of the freezer and run. We love making grains in advance!
food, recipes in poastpartum Wednesday, March 9, 2011 at 10:18PM If you're visiting my site for the first time in a while, you'll notice that I've recently relaunched with a new look. While the old website over at Wordpress was serving me all right, I hadn't liked it in months and had been looking around for a better place to call home.
With some inspiration from a friend, I landed on SquareSpace and it was love at first sight. Ridiculously easy to use and fully customizable, I made the decision quickly and here I am.
Take a look around and let me know what you think in the comments. Are there things missing? Things I could be doing better? I want to know!
In other news, my doula life is going well. I'm on the road to certification and hoping to (finally!) be official in coming months. If you know any pregnant women in NYC looking for affordable doula services, please send 'em my way!
<3
