A Blessingway is a sacred pre-birth ceremony that has traditionally been performed by Navajo people, and celebrates a woman’s rite of passage into motherhood. Today, a gathering known as a ‘Mother Blessing’ is gaining popularity in North America. Unlike a traditional baby shower where the focus is on gifts, a Mother Blessing puts the focus back on nurturing the woman. A…
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A Midwifery Student’s Birth Without Fear {With Pictures}
I got pregnant with my first son when I was just about 18. I really wanted to give birth at the out of hospital birth center that a lot of my friends were giving birth at, but my mom and other friends convinced me it was best to have my first at the hospital, in case anything went wrong. I…
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The Fear and Anxiety of the Dad-to-Be
No one reading this needs an explanation of how men and women are different. It’s generally accepted that men, for the most part, are logical fixers and women are, overall, emotional nurturers. Men like to see things from an empirical point of view, cut to the chase, and get to the root of the problem and fix it. Women like to…
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Birth Rights, Hyperemesis Gravidarum and More. {Guest Post by Jess Kroger}
When you think of birth (in most cases, especially first time moms) the first thing that comes to mind isn’t that you have options – it’s that you’ll do what the doctor says to do and when they say to do it because they know best. For most women, this is fine, but then you get the group of mamas…
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Maternal Death and the United States {Birth Without Fear}
Maternal Death – the death of a woman while pregnant or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy, irrespective of the duration and site of the pregnancy, from any cause related to or aggravated by the pregnancy or its management but not from accidental or incidental causes. (WHO) This is a subject no one really wants to talk about. Mothers…
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Prepping for Your Home Birth Without Fear {The Ultimate List}
One of the most common questions about homebirth from those considering it is, “What do you need?” While the list of supplies varies from midwife to midwife, there are some basic things that almost everyone is going to need to gather in preparation for the birth. There will also be things you will (probably) want to do for your comfort…
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A Home Water Birth Based on Faith and Evidence Based Care
Around my daughter’s first birthday in December, it was placed heavily my heart to have another child. I had just graduated college, and the timing seemed perfect. My husband agreed and we found out we were expecting in January with an estimated due date of around September 17! I immediately started researching home birth midwifery options. I had an all…
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Birth of Twins {Baby B-Birth in OR before CS}
A few days after finding out I was having twins, I began mourning the loss of my birth experience. Dramatic? Probably. But as a Doula and at the time, prospective, Childbirth Educator, and someone who’s frankly quite terrified of needles, I knew that medication, needles, scalpels and augmentation were not for me. Coming to terms with the possibility that my…
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Stretch, Open, Breathe {12 Prenatal Yoga Poses To Prepare For Birth}
A special thank you to all of the mothers who sent in their prenatal yoga photos for this story. You are all beautifully balanced yoginis! {Guest post by Alisia} Photos by to Cradled Creations, Amy Leist Photography, and Tammy Bradshaw Photography Yoga can be a wonderful and gentle way to keep your body flexible and you mind focused during pregnancy, labour and birth.…