How has COVID impacted Pregnancy Rates?

Speculation has been as much a part of the COVID pandemic as isolation, tv show reunions, endless deliveries of Chipotle, eye glass fog and Zoom fatigue. Since most of us have never lived through anything like this, we naturally wonder about our futures. What will work environments look like, what kind of protections will be …

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IN TIMES LIKE THESE

“Pandemic babies.” If you’re a mom that’s given birth any time within the last year, you may either use this term for your little one freely or shudder viscerally at the expression. The postpartum stage is challenging enough on a great day…when you have all the support your heart desires from the people and providers …

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Oh, The Labels

I recently spoke with a postpartum mom who is participating in a specific online support group. While I can’t reveal its title, it did get me thinking about a topic I have pondered since I conceived my first daughter Lo those many years ago. It’s a little something I like to call The Label Trap. …

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Myth-Busting Pregnancy Edition

In honor of all parents-to-be, we bring you a few fun facts about family-building. While there is so much serious news to digest these days, we thought a break might be a welcome distraction. Myth #1: Every woman’s water breaks before her labor begins. Truth:  Only 11% of all women experience a leak or gush …

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When & How to Announce Your Pregnancy to Your Boss

Sharing pregnancy news is an intensely private decision. Timing is an important consideration, as are the specific people you decide to tell. And if all this isn’t complicated enough on a personal level, the question of how to approach this professionally can be very, very sticky.  The process is NOT made easy for moms. Often …

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We See You

Loss comes in all kinds of intensity and darkness that can be both fleeting and stagnant. Many of us in our time of grief seek support from family and friends and perhaps other resources. But it astounds me that even in this day and age, parents who suffer miscarriage often feel like they have to …

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Private Lives (and the Not So Much)

Once upon a time, women didn’t have to fret a great deal about keeping their pregnancy to themselves, at least not in the first trimester. When social media wasn’t (gasp!) a thing (and unless a woman chose to share her news with others), the general public was kept in the dark until she began to …

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Doula? Baby Nurse? How Do I Choose?

What’s the difference between a Baby Nurse and a Postpartum Doula? If you’re considering professional help for your family, how do you choose? Let’s compare the two so you can better understand the type of help each professional can provide: Baby Nurse: this is someone who has been trained in newborn care and primarily takes …

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A Note to the Partners of Pregnancy

Dear Partners:  Partners of pregnant women come in all shapes, sizes and support styles. Some are eager to read all the books, attend all the classes, shop for all the gear and even help to plan the gender-reveal.  And others…? Not so much. This can be disconcerting to women, and a cause of unwelcome prenatal …

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A Love Letter to Partners       

I once taught a private childbirth education series to a couple in their home. The mom-to-be was excited and eager to learn about her progressing pregnancy, labor and birth, and the importance of postpartum support. Her husband, on the other hand, wasn’t engaged at all. He’d impatiently walk in and out of the room as …

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