While some swelling (or ‘edema’) is normal in well-nourishing pregnancies, nutrition plays a big role in how much swelling a woman might experience. It’s not true that it’s only ‘luck of the draw’ or that you have to ‘just wait it out’ until the baby’s born. As a holistic midwife, nutrition is a part of our very first consultation because of its powerful role in keeping mom comfortable and both of them healthy.

You are NOT powerless in RSV season! During the respiratory season, pregnant women and moms are especially alert to the risk of RSV for their babies, but there are many option beyond “being worried or getting the RSV vaccine.”

Here are 3 powerful preventions and some RSV vaccine info to help you be more empowered in your choices, and keep your babies safe and healthy.

A healthier new year makes everything better! These simple five ideas are powerful starting points, and are offer improvements to everyone regardless of where you are on your healthy journey.

Nothing really tops simple prevention and prompt action as our first line of defense when we feel like we might be getting sick. It’s tempting to ignore the hints, but responding promptly is not only simple, cheap, and effective, but it saves massive amounts of time and suffering over the long term! When you have a hint that illness might be brewing, here are 7 actions you can take which have been successful in my family about 80-90% of the time.

Ear pain keeping your little one up at night? Learn how to soothe earaches naturally and confidently decide when it’s time for extra support.

Gift-giving lists are not my usual thing, but you’ll love the unique gems on this one. These are incredible treasures I’ve found over the years for my boys as they’ve grown up. I’ve always tried to prioritize imagination, playfulness, fun, and quality materials for longevity and aesthetics. Many of these companies are smaller scaler, family-owned, or are proud of being ‘Made in the USA;’ plan accordingly because they may need human time to arrive (as opposed to Prime time).

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.’ But the Reset Position is quite different, and it could save your next labor a great many hours.  It opens the pelvis wide, and provides an opportunity for the baby to back OUT of the pelvis and REPOSITION itself. It works MIRACLES!

At our house, the squash seeds are even more popular than the pretty orange vegetables; the kids wolf them down while waiting for dinner. Roasted squash seeds are super easy to make, so when squash and pumpkins begin to debut in your Autumn market, let the fun begin! The fresher and the smaller the seeds, the tastier they are to eat…..

Because of their shared, women-centered maternity health perspectives, midwives and doulas often appreciate each other’s work and may be at births together.  Doulas assist mothers in positioning, provide emotional support and encouragement and act as an advocate for their individual birth plans, regardless of who is their health care provider. Midwives may also do these things, but are actually delivering (or "catching") the babies, and are responsible for the health care and safety of the mother/baby dyad in labor and birth.