Thank a Doula for Labor Day!

If I had a time-turner and could go back to my first pregnancy to change one thing, I would hire a doula to support me in my labor.

I had a doula the second and third time and can’t begin to tell you what a difference it made!

A doula is, simply, a non-medical, . . . → Read More: Thank a Doula for Labor Day!

Birth Plan for a Planned Cesarean

Many pregnant mothers are facing a planned (also called “scheduled”) cesarean section, but don’t know that they can and should develop a birth plan just the same as women anticipating a vaginal delivery!

Each hospital, each surgeon, and each anesthesiology team will have a different status quo, a different “standard” way they do a . . . → Read More: Birth Plan for a Planned Cesarean

Transitional Pants

My son just turned 1 this weekend, and I’m still wearing my maternity pants. I’m doing so for several reasons.

First, I’m still about 20 pounds heavier than I was before I had this third baby, and the maternity pants are more forgiving than “regular” pants.

But! Maternity pants are just. So. Comfortable. I . . . → Read More: Transitional Pants

Writing Your Birth Story to Find Healing from a Challenging Experience

The goal of this post is to give some pointers for mothers looking to process your birth experience through writing. Maybe, like me, you had challenging birth experiences. Maybe, like me, instead of feeling euphoric after birth, you felt a host of darker emotions.

I work as a writer, and so I write stories . . . → Read More: Writing Your Birth Story to Find Healing from a Challenging Experience

The Surprising Snip: What I Didn’t Know About Vasectomies

I have 3 sons, aged 5, 3, and wee. When I’m out in public, strangers either ask me if I’m “trying again for a girl” or else they tell me I have my hands full. The truth is that our family is complete now. We’re all set! And so my husband signed up for a . . . → Read More: The Surprising Snip: What I Didn’t Know About Vasectomies

Special Delivery: Transporting My Placenta

I had unplanned cesarean sections for all three of my births. With my first son, my placenta got whisked away and I never got to see it, which I only realized afterward was something I felt very strongly about. So, for each of the other kids, I emphasized that I wanted to bring my placenta . . . → Read More: Special Delivery: Transporting My Placenta

How to Spend Your Maternity Leave

While pregnant with my first child, I had visions of a decadent maternity leave. The first week, I imagined, I’d probably be a bit sore and tired, so I’d likely sleep a lot and just chill with my family. After that, since babies sleep all the time, I planned to do All. The. Things. . . . → Read More: How to Spend Your Maternity Leave