My Job Isn't Done Until There's a Baby on a Boob!

As a midwife, I always say that my job is finished when I have a baby on a boob.  We are always on the lookout for the best research and data supporting holistic birth practices and this article highlights the importance of nearly immediate breastfeeding.  Skin to skin contact and feeding as soon as your newborn shows eagerness to feed are vital to an infant's health and the mother-child bond.

More than half of newborns not breastfed in first hour raising health risks, UNICEF says

NEW YORK –  NEW YORK (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - More than half of newborn babies are not breastfed within the first hour of life, putting them at heightened risk of disease and death, the United Nations' children's agency said on Friday, highlighting sub-Saharan Africa as an area of concern.

Feeding babies within an hour of birth passes on critical nutrients, antibodies and skin contact with their mothers that can protect them, UNICEF said.

Delaying breastfeeding by two to 23 hours after birth increases the risk of a baby dying in its first month by 40 percent and delaying by 24 hours or more increases the risk of death to 80 percent, UNICEF said.

Studies show newborns account for nearly half of all deaths of children under age 5.

UNICEF, which has been campaigning to promote early breastfeeding, estimates 77 million babies around the world each year are not breastfed within the first hour of their life. It estimates about 130 million babies are born each year.

"Breast milk is a baby's first vaccine, the first and best protection they have against illness and disease," France B'gin, UNICEF senior nutrition adviser, said in a statement.

"Making babies wait too long for the first critical contact with their mother outside the womb decreases the newborn's chances of survival, limits milk supply and reduces the chances of exclusive breastfeeding."

Efforts to promote early breastfeeding have been slow, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, where mortality rates for children under age 5 are high, UNICEF said.

In South Asia, rates of early breastfeeding tripled from 2000 but 21 million newborns a year are not breastfed in the first hour, UNICEF said.

Among the obstacles, UNICEF said, doctors, nurses and midwives assisting births in the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia are less likely to promote early breastfeeding than are unskilled attendants or relatives assisting.

In some countries UNICEF said it is customary to feed a baby infant formula, cow's milk or sugar water in its first three days.

If all babies were fed nothing but breast milk from birth to six months, more than 800,000 lives could be saved each year, UNICEF said.

Around the world, 43 percent of infants less than 6 months old are fed breast milk exclusively, according to UNICEF. Those who are not breastfed at all are 14 times more likely to die than those fed only breast milk, it said.

The figures were released ahead of World Breastfeeding Week running from August 1 to August 7 in more than 170 nations.

To view the original article, click here.

Embrace Wellness Collective Breastfeeding Support Group

Join our Breastfeeding Support Group this Wednesday, August 18th from 7 pm - 8 pm.  Hosted by Embrace Wellness Collective, join Emily Mozingo (CLEC) in this free support group and safe place for breastfeeding moms,  moms-to-be, or those at any stage in the breastfeeding relationship.

No registration is necessary.  Please contact Emily for more information at littlelovebirthservices@gmail.com

Meet & Greet Our Doulas TONIGHT!

TONIGHT! Starting at 6pm we will be having a meet and greet with our fabulous team of doulas. Everyone is welcome and you certainly don't have to be a client of ours.  Come learn the benefits of hiring a doula for your pregnancy.  I always say the job of a doula is to make the Dads look like rock stars!  They are the ultimate support for any expecting mom and always have a wide range of skills to meet your personal needs.  Some of our doulas specialize in yoga, some of them in massage therapy, aromatherapy, nutrition....each one of these ladies has something special to offer their moms.  So come meet the perfect doula match for you!

8 Tips to Increase Chances of Conception

1. When you decide you're ready to start trying to get pregnant, make an appointment with your midwife.  Together, you can review your health history (i.e. hypertension, diabetes, thyroid issues) to identify any risks or obstacles to get under control before you conceive.
2. Get to your ideal Body Mass Index (BMI).  The ideal BMI for pregnancy is between 20 and 25.  Being over or underweight can have an adverse affect hormones.
3. STOP SMOKING.  Everyone should do this anyway, but studies show that women who smoke and are trying to get pregnant can take up to a year and a half to conceive.
4. Limit your alcohol.  Heavy drinking affects fertility by increasing the amount of time it takes to get pregnant and reduces your chances of having a healthy baby.  This goes for men as well.  In addition, smoking marijuana reduces male sperm motility and decreases sperm count.
5. Try to conceive in Winter or Spring.  Studies show that male sperm are healthier during these times.
6. Track your ovulation.  You can download free apps to track your cycle, purchase ovulation predictor kits or use the basal body temperature method.  Generally, ovulation occurs around day 14 before your next cycle begins.
7. Have sex before and after ovulation.  Have sex in the 4 days leading up to ovulation and 1 to 2 days after.
8. Avoid commercial lubricants.  They have adverse effects on conception by decreasing sperm motility and potentially harming the sperm.  Opt for natural substitutes like olive oil.

BONUS TIP— Relax!  Your sexual activity should now have two goals instead of one.  Making a baby and climaxing.  Stress has harmful effects on the body and stressing out over conception isn’t helping you, your partner, or conceiving.


For more information on this topic visit Parents.com

The Birth Center Difference

Community Class Success!

We had such a great time last night at our FIRST Community Class at Ellwood Thompson's last night! Thank you to all of our participants, it was actually quite a diverse crowd of couples in different stages of conception and some wonderful doulas wanting to learn more!  We will absolutely be doing another class there, topic to be decided...any suggestions?

Does My Vagina Look Normal?

Even if it has not been your habit throughout your life so far, I recommend that you learn to think positively about your body.”
― Ina May Gaskin, Ina May's Guide to Childbirth

There’s an old joke…men look at their penises 6 times a day…5 times to pee and once just to admire it!  As women, we have to work much harder to see our vaginas, so there is a much larger mystery about them.

Every woman I know is concerned in some way about her vagina.  Well, really, technically, they are worried about their vulvas, which are the exterior lips of the vagina.  As women, we do not really “see” other women’s vaginas or even vulvas…unlike men who are all out there in front, in every locker room in America.  So, that leaves us to compare ourselves (if we chose to) to porn stars and online images.  And unfortunately, like every other public image, those are usually not the most realistic models.

I hate that moment I have a woman cringe at the thought of a vaginal exam, shame and worry in her eyes.  I had one woman who had never let her husband see her undressed…she put on a nightie in the bathroom, and crept to bed.  Intimacy was under the blankets, under the nightie and under the cover of darkness.  Why?  Because she was sure her vulva was abnormal, because her labia minora (the pink, wet inner lips) were too large and uneven.

So, after some gentle talk, and some reassurance, including the option to decline the exam completely, I left the room so she could get ready for the exam.  When I came back in, she was draped well, completely tucked in.  I talked a lot about how all vulvas are different, just like noses and toes.  How some have “innie” lips, and some have “outies” and how often the lips are different sizes.  How we have to learn to be as comfortable with our vaginas and vulvas as we are with our elbows.   And then I asked if she was ready for the exam.

She nodded through tears, and I smiled gently.  I just lifted the drape a bit and peeked.  I dropped the drape, wide-eyed and straight-faced.   “Oh my goodness~ it looked just like a vulva!”  We both started laughing.  I looked again, a bit closer this time, and told her that her labias were perfectly normal, and no larger or smaller than most women’s.   Relief flooded her face.  Tears rolled down her cheeks.  She had spent years thinking she was deformed, believing it for so long she couldn’t even remember when it had become a thought.   I began telling her about her body, explaining the purpose of each part, and continually reassuring her it was perfectly normal.

So, let’s be clear.  Vulvas come large and small, even and uneven, pink and brown, smooth and wrinkly, all of them as unique as the women they grace.  If your vulva doesn’t pinch when you get on a bike or hurt during sex, it’s normal.

Meanwhile, as some homework, go visit http://www.greatwallofvagina.co.uk and enjoy the great variations that nature brings us.