Packing for the Trip… the Miracle of Birth Supplies

When I am getting ready to have a baby, buying birth supplies feels like its own rite of passage. It seems so practical, so impersonal, maybe even silly. But I look forward to this ritual with anticipation, because it means so much more to me than just filling my cart with new towels, or underpads.

Everything I check off my list sparks my excitement to meet my new baby, and with every item I find I imagine the “sacredness” in which it will first be used.
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How to Eat to Avoid Morning Sickness

As many of you know already, or soon will find out when you open the barrage of books on pregnancy, there is a lot to learn about nutrition during this wonderful season of life. There is plenty of information out there about 3 servings of this or that, and which supplements to take to make sure you and your baby are healthy. But, before you get overwhelmed, let’s take a step back and talk about basic nutrition. After all, good nutrition during pregnancy is the most important factor in making sure that you have a successful, positive natural birthing experience.
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Will You Choose to Not Bond With Your Baby?

The latest research headline reads, “Epidural During Labor May Hinder Breastfeeding”.

Let’s be real here. What this study is really saying is that interventions (here, epidurals) mess with the entire birth process and create serious problems. Breastfeeding problems are serious enough, but what they are really saying is that interventions get in the way of bonding.

Bonding. Those first few moments after birth when the world stands still and you meet your baby for the first time. If it was a perfect world, every woman and baby would meet this way. There are very specific “chemical reactions” that occur when you are in labor that lead to the ability for you and your baby to connect.
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