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What's That on My Baby? Understanding Common Newborn Features
As midwives, we're often the first to help parents understand what's expected when meeting their baby for the first time. It's perfectly natural for parents to marvel at their little one's features—and it's equally natural to ask, "Is this normal?" Here's a guide to some of the most common newborn findings that might surprise new parents but are, in fact, completely typical.
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Understanding Estimated Due Dates in Pregnancy
One of the most significant questions expectant parents often ask is, "When is the baby due?" The estimated due date (EDD) or "guess date" as some prefer to call it, provides an answer to this question. This date will guide time sensitive testing throughout the prenatal care, it helps healthcare providers track the baby's development and also helps parents prepare for the arrival of their newborn. While the actual birth date may vary, having a reliable estimate allows for better preparation and follow up care of the pregnancy.
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Preparing Your Child for a Homebirth - A Comprehensive Guide
Introducing a new sibling through a homebirth can be a beautiful and intimate experience for the entire family. However, it’s essential to prepare your older children adequately, helping them understand and feel comfortable with what will happen. This guide will provide you with practical tips to ensure your children are ready for the arrival of their new sibling in a home birth setting.
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Myth Busting Homebirth Midwives: Separating Fact from Fiction
As a certified nurse midwife with a passion for home births, I often encounter numerous misconceptions and myths surrounding the practice of midwifery care in the home setting. These misconceptions occurred in my own home when my partner and I were discussing the type of care we wanted during my second pregnancy. It was clear to me what I wanted and knew was the safest and best place for me, but he needed some education and myth busting.
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Homebirth Midwife Interview Questionnaire
Choosing to have a homebirth can be one of the most significant life choices you make for yourself and your growing family. To join you on this journey you may need to choose a midwife that you trust, feels a connection with and best aligns with your philosophy. Most, if not all midwives offer a free consultation where you can ask all your questions. In order to facilitate this process I’ve created a questionnaire that can help you gather essential information and to make an informed decision about who to hire. You can find a downloadable worksheet that includes all these questions below.
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Jaundice and Breastfeeding
Bringing a newborn into the world can be an experience filled with awe and wonder, but can also bring about concerns and questions, especially when it comes to your baby's health. Like Jaundice for instance. Jaundice, a common condition in newborns, occurs when there is a buildup of bilirubin (explanation below, in the next few paragraphs) in the bloodstream due a change in baby's circulation. But did you know that continued breastfeeding plays a crucial role in supporting your baby through this phase? Rare is the case where the parents need to stop breastfeeding altogether or switch to complete supplementation with formula.
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Navigating Pregnancy and Birth with Informed Choices
Bringing a new life into the world is a profound journey, and for the parents, it's filled with a multitude of choices to make along the way. From prenatal care options to labor and birthing plans, the decisions you make during pregnancy can significantly impact your experience. As a midwife, I'm passionate about helping you make informed choices, and one crucial aspect of this is understanding the difference between relative risk and absolute risk when reading studies related to pregnancy and childbirth.
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Homebirth: A Gentle Option for Low-Risk Pregnancies
We are all unique beings, with our own beliefs and experiences in life that help to guide us in making decisions. These decisions also include the type of care we desire during pregnancy, birth and beyond. There is a reason why we have all these options for care. I don’t think that these options are superior or inferior to each other but rather a spectrum of choices that every person decides where they feel most comfortable and safe. These choices obviously need to take into account the person’s health history and the level of care they need.
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Homebirth and Insurance
You’ve decided that you want to have a homebirth. You found the midwife that you want to join you for this ride. Congratulations! That is a big step… establishing care for your pregnancy, birth and postpartum journey. It is also a big investment of time, education, preparation and money.
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