austinhomebirth

First, RELAX! Forget due dates. Due dates are merely an educated guess, did you know only 4% of births happen on the “due date”? Your anxiety is pumping adrenaline at high levels into your system, and this could very well be further delaying any progress or starting. Concentrate on the wonderful feeling of the baby’s … Read more

In reading this you may just have found out that your baby is breech, or you may be preparing in case this does happen to you or someone you know. The most important thing to do is to relax and know that babies are often breech until the last trimester as they turn and move … Read more

The easy answer to a Pitocin or Syntocinon induction is even though it’s an artificial induction with artificial oxytocin you would think “it’s the same hormone, why not?” but it goes much deeper than that. First of all, I will explain what happens during natural labor vs. an induction or augmentation and then explain the … Read more

Anthropologists tell us, and we generally agree, that important life passages are more easily assimilated when accompanied by a ceremony or ritual, a rite of passage. North Americans celebrate some of these pivotal moments like graduation and marriage. Another common example is the Jewish tradition of Bar Mitzvah. I’m sure you’ve also heard that some … Read more

Today we have more choices than ever about how we birth. We have the option of using a doctor or midwife for our practitioner. We have the choice of birthing in the hospital or at home. We can choose who is present at birth. We can decide to hire a doula. We can choose between … Read more

Your baby has just been born.  Would you let someone draw their blood and remove 30% of their blood volume? I became a midwife before I birthed my own babies.  People often ask me how my practice changed after I became a mother and gave birth.  All midwives advocate for the needs of babies, but … Read more