The two round ligaments that support the uterus are rope-like bands of connective tissue. As the baby and uterus grows, the ligaments stretch along with them, which sometimes results in a spasming pain which may be described as sharp, jabbing, stabbing or ‘a ping’. It’s pretty common for pregnant mamas to bring up “Is it normal to have this weird pain?” in the 4-7 month range. Here are a number of approaches that can bring relief, some that you can do with your hands right on the spot!

Informed consent is legally and morally mandated throughout ALL health care in the United States. This important process is to educate you about the risks, benefits, and alternatives of a given procedure or intervention. And that you have the protection to freely decide what course of action, or if no action, is in your best interest. In spite of ACOG’s clear definition of autonomous informed consent, it is still alarmingly absent from maternity care.

My watch stopped. At just the right time.

Sometimes we ask, “What would you do if you knew time was limited?” I’m asking, “HOW would we do time?” With even an extra deep breath or two, our brainwaves start to slow down or become synchronized. Moving towards this relaxed state of mind (the opposite of fight/flight/freeze), means being fully in the present moment becomes more possible. And we can experience the same busy day with a greater sense of calm and clarity. Even when getting the kids ready for school.

It’s time we educate the newly pregnant woman that the midwife or obstetrician that ‘delivers' their baby is actually HELPING THEM to deliver their baby, and even more importantly, helping them along the journey of becoming a mother/parent. What this health care provider will do, could do, should do is quite a bit more than to just make sure everyone survives the whole thing. Many assume that whatever their OB does is automatically the best care to be had. However, it can be problematic to ‘just go along’, without asking questions and without actively choosing the sort of care you want. Here’s why….

Good books on pregnancy and birth will introduce you to new information, expand your understanding of both details and broader picture, and help you more effectively navigate your childbearing year with clarity and peace. As a midwife, I’ve found that the “What to Expect When You’re Expecting” series does just the opposite! Whether you are a stories person, or relax into lots of good data and studies, find the book(s) that help find your ballast and grow your confidence. Here are some tried and true volumes that generally have reliable info, respectful tones, and empower their readers to more capably navigate their birth journeys and health care experiences.

Midwives, apprentices and doulas are uniquely positioned to have an extraordinary affect on the postpartum period of families, and therefore on the family’s entire parenting experience. When we educate mothers and their families about the exquisite importance of a healthy and protected postpartum and how to have realistic expectations, our impact will echo deeply in women’s lives forever beyond the actual birth.

Midwives are highly skilled professionals in the realm of normal birth. Although it’s common for current generations to think that all babies are born in a hospital with obstetricians (OB’s), the preferred attendant around the world for normal birth is still the midwife. So how does one go about finding a homebirth midwife, if you're the first in your circle to consider such a thing? Depending on the health care politics of your area, it could be super easy, or a big challenge!

As a midwife, I’ve gotten calls from mamas about spotting for over 40 years, here is the conversation that I have with them. Women are scared, their husbands and partners are scared. People need gentle reassurance, and information on their choices, so they can make decisions that are best for them.

It’s hard to know where to even begin on the topic of help, frankly. I’ve started this blog over and over, with endless perspectives in my mind about what it means to be willing to ask for help, and to receive it. This is a big theme in my life, as like so many midwives I’m a helper by trade and personality. A great deal of my career has been spent encouraging mothers to ask for and receive support, and teaching them that it also gifts the giver. But recently the theme was up close and personal; I needed quite a lot of physical help while I healed from a ruptured disc in my back, right at the time I thought I’d be celebrating a new season of independence by stepping back from being on call after 40 years.

The ‘Hands and Knees’ position is instinctively assumed by women in labor all the time. And sometimes it’s suggested that women go farther, into yoga’s ‘Child’s Pose.’ I’ve coined the term ‘Reset Position’ for the posture in the picture above, it’s NOT your old ‘Knee-Chest’ position. It opens the pelvis wide, and provides an opportunity for the baby to back OUT of the pelvis and REPOSITION itself. And it works MIRACLES!