I had always expected to breastfeed my babies. I was breastfed until I was two (or four, depending on which parent you ask) and it just seemed normal. But I had never considered how important it was to have a partner who supported me in breastfeeding. Like a dreamy adolescent girl who has already chosen the colours for her wedding,…
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Breastfeeding Through Hydrocephalus and Cleft Palate {A Mother’s Devotion}
Christine Curry of Storyteller Photography writes: “This is Ellie. She was born with hydrocephalus, a cleft palate and a myriad of other issues. Because of her condition, she was never able to naturally breast feed. But that didn’t stop Ellie’s mom, who wanted to give her all she could. You see, Teresa pumped her breast milk … every day.. for EVERY…
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“Why not formula?” | Choosing Donor Breast Milk Over Artificial Milk
Having a premature baby I anticipated there could be some challenges as we began our breastfeeding journey, however nothing quite prepared me for the challenges we would face. Jett was born at 25 weeks and in the early weeks of his life he had multiple bowel perforations which can be common in premature babies. He was a very sick little…
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Infertility, Loss, Cesarean Birth, and PPD {A Mother’s Story of Two Births}
{Editor’s Note: This story comes to us from Rachel. This is the story of infertility, loss, and two Cesarean births – one which was not empowering, and a second that was positive and healing. This is also the story of two experiences with Postpartum Depression and the effects on bonding and motherhood.} My story starts almost five years ago, it…
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Reflections on Extended Breastfeeding {One Mother’s Journey}
Today I was struck by the beauty of my breastfeeding relationship with my son. The light filtered through the window after our nap, the new crisp white sheets I had just put on the bed felt heavenly and looked so pure. My son’s hair – a golden blond – was moving in the breeze from the window and shining like…
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Speedy {Literally Outside of the} Hospital Birth
We received an email from Emily Robinson Photography last night about a wild birth she attended the night before that she thought we might like to share. YES! Wild is right! Mama didn’t even make it into the hospital (until after the babe was born)! The midwife was serendipitously right there when they pulled up and calmly caught the baby…
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Birth Without Fear Top 10 Most Popular Blog Posts of All Time
Birth Without Fear is three years old today! To commemorate this special occasion we compiled links to the Top 10 most popular blog posts of all time here on the Birth Without Fear Blog. So without further ado… 10. Home Birth of Twins Born Past 41 Weeks, One Footling Breech “…I had been having mild contractions off and on for about…
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Come and Listen to a Story about a Mama {Breastfeeding and Formula Feeding}
(To the tune of The Beverly Hillbillies theme song) Come and listen to a story ‘bout a mama lost her head A doting child-bearer keeping all her babies fed, Then one day an adoptive mommy too So many wee ones what will she do? Breast milk that is, liquid gold, Nature’s nectar. Well the next thing you know one babe…
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Delivering Through Deployment {Army Wife}
My name is Chelsea Carey and my husband is active duty Army. He serves as an Infantryman and we were stationed at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, but are in the middle of being PCS’ed to Germany. My first pregnancy was fairly easy and as a dance instructor, I managed to stay active and teach the whole way through. So…