Among all the chaos and uncertainty COVID-19 has brought us, one thing hasn’t changed: People are still having babies. But the landscape of giving birth sure has changed. And one of the big changes, in the hopes of flattening the curve, are new hospital visitation policies that, in some cases, cut doulas out of the […]

Back labor. It’s more than just a birth story talking point. It’s real, and it can suck. But, there are things you can do to get through it. What is back labor? The intense lower back pain that some people experience during labor occurs when the baby’s head puts pressure on the lower back. More […]

What is preeclampsia? Preeclampsia is one of the most common, serious disorders of pregnancy. It affects 2-8% of all pregnancies in the U.S, and typically begins with newly elevated blood pressure (readings above 140/90 on two or more occasions) sometime after 20 weeks of pregnancy. (Women who enter pregnancy with chronic high blood pressure can […]

At a routine 36-week prenatal exam, Jessie Ha’s blood pressure measured 120/80. These numbers were on the high side for her.  She has an autoimmune disease that normally causes her blood pressure to run low. But the 35-year-old disability advocate was not overly worried. Nor was her doctor. They chalked it up to normal pre-birth […]

You’ve been waiting and wondering when this would happen— that first sign that maybe, just maybe, your baby is ready to come out into the world. And then, one day, you get a sign. Or is it a sign?  Is that my mucus plug? Is that what it is supposed to look like? Should I […]

In addition to weird aches and discomforts (sciatica, anyone?), weight gain, and puking, pregnancy can make routine decisions—what should I eat right now?—annoyingly complex. For every meal, it’s a series of questions. Does this contains any “no-nos” like soft cheese or deli meats? Is it healthy enough? Did I get at least two servings of […]

Red raspberry leaf tea is an ancient tonic—pregnant women as early as the 6th century drank the stuff. It is still a popular herbal supplement for pregnancy today, with claimed benefits ranging from it’s ability to strengthen the uterus and help prepare the body for birth to directly stimulating labor (in one survey, more than […]

If you’re pregnant or planning to be pregnant, chances are you’ve heard stories about what might happen to your nether regions during a vaginal birth. Perhaps you’ve heard about tearing during delivery or even heard the term episiotomy. Tearing naturally during labor is super common (over 80% of women will experience tearing to some degree). […]

If your round ligaments weren’t on your radar before, they certainly may be by the time you hit your second trimester. A sudden change in position may spur a painful sensation. Or you may notice a constant feeling of discomfort, especially during the third trimester. Welcome to round ligament pain, my friend. Another totally normal […]

As you near the end of your pregnancy (hello, cankles!), you will be screened for Group B Strep, a common and normally harmless bacteria found in between 10-25% of women’s digestive and reproductive tracts. Although mostly benign in adults, Group B Strep (GBS) can cause serious infections in newborns, whose immune systems are still developing. […]

Since 2002, The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has recommended that doctors screen all pregnant women for Group B Strep between 35-37 weeks, and that all women who test positive receive IV antibiotics during labor. This policy has more than halved the rate of early onset newborn GBS disease (GBS infection occurring within the first […]

From colostrum to coming to volume… Most expecting moms I know expended a ton of energy preparing for their baby’s arrival. They prepped for labor, studied up on their birth options, and set up their baby’s nursery. But despite all their effort, one major challenge still tended to trip them up after baby arrived: Breastfeeding. […]