Chandler, Arizona
Sweet Pea ​Births
Sweet Pea ​Births
...celebrating every swee​t pea their birth
...celebrating every swee​t pea their birth
Blog
In Their Own Words: Katie ~ 2016 Update
Posted on August 22, 2016 at 12:15 PM |
![]() |
"In Their Own Words" is a blog series we share to
bring you "real life" experiences from other mothers and their
families. Would you like to share your story? Please email me at
[email protected] to get started. Click HERE to read Katie’s submission for our ITOW series in 2012, written when her older
nursling was 19 weeks old. If you've read my earlier breastfeeding stories, you know
how much I've dreamed of tandem breastfeeding. My dream came true July
2015. I've been tandem breastfeeding for over 13 months now, with my older
nursling - my third child - being 4.5 years old (and I haven't had a decent
night's sleep in about 4.5 years). If you've read my earlier stories, you will
also notice this one is shorter. I think it's because we've just hit our
groove. Anyway, you're probably here to learn about tandem breastfeeding. I cannot say how amazing tandem breastfeeding can be.
Obviously it can be convenient when both nurslings need comfort, especially at
bedtime when everyone is cranky. Beyond the convenience, is the amazing: I'm
talking about snuggling two children close to me while they look into my eyes
or drift off to sleep. I'm talking about intense bonding hormones washing over
me like a tidal wave. I'm talking about looking down to see my two children
holding hands as they do their favorite thing together. I'm even talking about
the laugh I get when they fight while they're breastfeeding, just like they did
when she breastfed while he was still in utero. I'm definitely also talking
about the laugh I get when the baby trolls the preschooler, like slowing moving
his hand closer and closer to "her" boob or tousling her hair and
brushing it into her face. (Seriously...as bad as I feel for her, it is
hilarious.) On the other hand, tandem breastfeeding is taxing. My body
works that much harder to make milk. I get that much less sleep. Sometimes I'm
touched out, and I just have to say no to the preschooler, and she has a
meltdown. And I feel horrible, because I've just denied her something she
believes is essential, and something that is an integral part of her
relationship with me. Many people tell me to wean my older nursling, or at least night wean,
especially since my sleep is so poor. If that is a mother's choice, more power
to her. I do not have the desire to make my child wean. I feel bad enough when
I wave her off - sometimes pry her off - during the day and occasionally at
night. I love to breastfeed my children. I love the connection. I love the
security. I love the superpower-like feeling of nourishing and comforting a
child with my body's natural abilities. I'm of the mindset that I absolutely
will not make one of my children wean without absolute necessity. I will also
be devastated when they wean. I love breastfeeding, even though it's hard. There are always a few technical questions when it comes to
tandem breastfeeding. How did I know the baby got enough? Did I make the older
nursling wait her turn? How do I physically nurse them both, like am I an
expert Tetris player? What about sharing illnesses? And the list goes on. First
of all, there are a lot of resources available to assuage a mother's concerns,
like La Leche League (LLL) meetings, and a book put out by LLL called Adventures in
Tandem Nursing: Breastfeeding During Pregnancy and Beyond by Hilary
Flower. Here are some of my responses:
So, is tandem breastfeeding easy? No, except when I can take
down two cranks at the same time...then it's easier than the alternative. Is tandem breastfeeding for everyone? Nope. Aside from
determination and patience, it takes a true desire to do it. Is tandem breastfeeding worth it? When it's good, it's
great. And for me, the good far outweighs everything else. Thank you to Katie for sharing her update on their breastfeeding
journey today <3 I hope it has touched you and inspired you in some way, and
that you will take heart and courage in your own breastfeeding (and maybe
tandem nursing!) journey. Katie Newton is an alumni mom from our Fall 2011 and Spring 2015 Classes. She and her husband have four children. See more of Katie's "random thoughts and mutterings" by visiting her blog, UPCOMING EVENTS Phoenix La Leche League: Live, Latch, Love As part of the LLL area conference August 26th, 5-7 PM Embassy Suites Biltmore La Leche League Conference August 26-28, 2016 Embassy Suites Biltmore Register Here: www.lllofaz.org/area-conference Disclaimer: The material included in this blog is for informational
purposes only. It is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional
medical advice. The reader should always consult her or his healthcare provider
to determine the appropriateness of the information for their own
situation. Krystyna and Bruss Bowman and
Bowman House, LLC accept no liability for the content of this site, or for the
consequences of any actions taken on the basis of the information provided. This blog and related videos contain
information about our classes available in Chandler, AZ and Payson, AZ and is
not the official website of Birthing From Within or The Bradley Method®. The
views contained in this video and on our blog do not necessarily reflect those
of Birthing From Within, The Bradley Method® or the American Academy of
Husband-Coached Childbirth®. Birthing From Within and Bradley Method® natural childbirth
classes offered in Arizona: convenient to Chandler, Tempe, Ahwatukee, Gilbert,
Mesa, Scottsdale, Payson |
In Their Own Words: Tanya + Tandem Nursing
Posted on August 19, 2016 at 9:39 AM |
![]() |
"In Their Own
Words" is a blog series we share to bring you "real life"
experiences, written by other mothers about their families. Would you like to
share your story? Please email me at krystyna{at}sweetpeabirths{dot}com to get
started. Before I had children, I thought that tandem nursing was something a mother did with twins, or triplets, etc. Little did I know! After my first daughter was born, I went from thinking I would just nurse until she was one, to feeling sad that she self-weaned at 22 months while I was pregnant with my second daughter. I never knew how much I wanted to tandem nurse until I wasn’t able to do it. When I became pregnant with my son, I thought I might get the chance for tandem this time around. However, my second daughter self-weaned at 17 months. I felt this was far too early and was even more disappointed (Though the nipple aversion was getting pretty difficult!). My son was born when my second daughter was 23 months and to my surprise, 6 weeks later she decided to re-latch while in the bath tub with me one day. From then on she wanted to nurse at least 3 times a day. I was blown away! I had never heard of a former nursling re-latching. I proceeded to join an online tandem nursing group because I was unable to find much help at my normal breastfeeding group regarding tandem nursing. So here I was with my amazing tandem nursing that I had always wanted and I was MISERABLE!!! It was so difficult because not only did I have an infant who was waking about 3 times a night to nurse, but now I had a 2-year-old who magically started waking up to nurse. There were many nights where I fell asleep with them hanging off me and my nipples just felt stretched to the limits. My 2-year-old wanted to nurse almost as much as my infant did many days, and in the books I read there was no discussion about this behavior. I went to my Le Leche League group and they suggested different ways of setting nursing limits. Slowly I began working on nursing limits with her, and over the course of a year-long tandem journey, I was able to get a few limits set. However, breastfeeding had become so much more of a struggle than I had ever experienced in my 4+ years of nursing. I had always just followed my children’s cues and we seemed to have an unspoken understanding of one another when it came to nursing. This tension and dislike for nursing was uncharted territory for me and I began feeling such guilt. Guilt that I no longer understood my daughter. Guilt that I wasn’t having the same positive nursing experience with her that I had the first time around. Guilt that I was letting myself become so burnt out and stressed that I wasn’t being the mommy that I wanted to be for any of my children. But...I was a sleep deprived mom with a husband working out of town. He was only home 4-7 days out of the month from the time our son was 6 weeks until he was 5 months and then again from 11-13months. So I was a single, tandem-nursing, homeschooling mom of 3 during the week and a basket case during the one or two days my husband would come home. My adrenaline kept me going through the week, but I would collapse many a Saturday either emotionally or physically (or both). The truth is that at any stage of parenting it can get so hard and overwhelming and out of control. It is OK to ask for help! It is OK to complain to others! It is OK for things to not be OK! I reached out to a few moms toward the end of my tandem nursing journey and complained that my almost 3-year-old was acting out so much more, regressing in her behavior, I was sleep deprived, I was resenting having to nurse two children…and you know what they told me… It is OK to stop when the breastfeeding relationship is not working for both. At first I scoffed because “hey…this was my job. I don’t get to say that I AM tired of it. I have to wait until SHE weans, right?!?” This is the biggest misconception I have felt and have heard others talk about. Now two months after our tandem nursing journey has ended I see that not only do I have a better relationship with my three-year-old but she has an amazing bond with her brother because of that tandem nursing. She is NOT damaged because I initiated weaning. She is thriving immensely! She is now potty trained (which was near impossible while she was nursing-she wanted no part of it), she is once again sleeping through the night, she has stopped doing the baby talk she had been doing AND we get to have a new way to have that special time together (which is a great thing for the middle child of the family). I am beyond grateful to have been able to extend my nursing journey through tandem nursing. I was able to nurse my two younger children together through the flu this past winter and they recovered far quicker than any of their friends (some who had to be hospitalized for dehydration). I am thankful that tandem nursing provided an easier transition for my middle child from baby of the family to big sister. But most of all I am thankful for the lesson I learned. I had a preconceived notion of how my nursing journey was supposed to go: I was supposed to happily tandem nurse until my middle child easily weaned herself. I learned that just because that was not how it went, it did not make me less of a mother or her nursing experience less positive or less beneficial. It has to be a balance, just like everything in life. Thank you to
TANYA for sharing about her tandem breastfeeding journey today <3 I hope it has touched
you and inspired you in some way, and that you will take heart and courage in
your own breastfeeding journey. UPCOMING EVENTS Phoenix La Leche League: Live, Latch, Love As part of the LLL area conference August 26th, 5-7 PM Embassy Suites Biltmore La Leche League Conference August 26-28, 2016 Embassy Suites Biltmore Register Here: www.lllofaz.org/area-conference Disclaimer: The material included in this blog is for informational
purposes only. It is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for
professional medical advice. The reader should always consult her or his
healthcare provider to determine the appropriateness of the information for
their own situation. Krystyna and Bruss
Bowman and Bowman House, LLC accept no liability for the content of this site,
or for the consequences of any actions taken on the basis of the information
provided. This blog and related videos contain
information about our classes available in Chandler, AZ and Payson, AZ and is
not the official website of The Bradley Method®. The views contained in this
video and on our blog do not necessarily reflect those of The Bradley Method®
or the American Academy of Husband-Coached Childbirth®. |
In Their Own Words: Kirsten
Posted on August 13, 2013 at 12:13 PM |
![]() |
Kirsten's Story: My first son was born early, at 35 weeks due to pre-eclampsia. I was given magnesium during labor, which I didn't realize can delay milk production. Since he was early, he had trouble regulating his blood sugars (I am gestationally diabetic) and needed to spend the first few days in the NICU. I was not producing milk, not even colostrum yet (thanks to a combination of prematurity, magnesium and PCOS) and he had to be given formula in order to keep his blood sugars up. Unfortunately for us, our NICU does not allow donor milk, and also did not tell me about alternative ways of feeding, so my boy was given a bottle every three hours for the first week of his life. He had barely even seen a breast, and already knew that he preferred the easy flow of a bottle. Once he was keeping his sugars up without an IV, we were discharged and sent home. I was so scared of underfeeding him, that we continued to use formula and bottles, while also offering him the breast at every opportunity. He didn't want it. At all. I was devastated. I had grown up knowing that I would breastfeed, my entire family did it, and did it with ease, and here we were with a baby who would rather sleep than even attempt to nurse. I was depressed and had crying jags constantly. I raged at my husband, my mother, my sister. No one seemed to understand just how important this was to me, or how awful the rejection from my own child felt. Finally, in desperation, my mom purchased a supplemental nursing system (SNS). We figured at least this way my breasts would be getting some stimulation (despite frequent pumping with a hospital grade pump I was still not able to pump enough to satisfy the baby), and baby would be getting as much breastmilk as was possible. For weeks I taped tubes onto my nipples. I cried every time. It hurt, I was bloody and raw from where the tape pulled on and off. But my son was eating at the breast! We slowly moved down to the smallest tube size, so that he would have to work a bit harder. He continued to eat at the breast, even though it was still supplemented with formula. Our next move was to move the bottle of the SNS lower, so that he was working against gravity. Again, it worked! I was still not able to produce much milk with a pump, though, so I was worried that I would never be able to wean him off of the formula supplements. I had already started taking fenugreek, mothers' milk teas, domperidone and goat's rue. I felt like I was throwing things at a wall, waiting to see what would stick. At about three months, I decided it had to be sink or swim. I could not continue with the SNS anymore. I talked with my husband and we agreed to give up the SNS. If the baby was really fussy or lost weight over the long weekend, we would just continue pumping and do formula and breastmilk mixture, and be satisfied with it. We were done fighting this battle. I was so nervous the first day without the SNS. I didn't want to accidentally starve my baby, but I knew that it was this or giving up completely. Much to our suprise, baby was happy and content to nurse at the breast with no supplementation. I never felt letdowns, but baby was obviously eating enough, going by diapers, and he wasn't overly fussy. After our 4 day weekend, we weighed him. He had gained 5 ounces! Clearly I was producing milk. We were overjoyed. The SNS and bottles were packed away, just in case, for the next baby. I am so proud to say that at 27 months, we are still going strong. We even managed to nurse through a pregnancy, and I am now nursing both my toddler and my newborn. My milk was not an issue at all this time around, I am even bordering on having an oversupply! I credit the toddler with that. We had many hurdles: low supply, medical issues for mom and baby, nipple flow preference, etc. But with some hard work (for everyone, me, baby and dad) we were able to overcome them. I am so glad that I did. Please leave us a comment - it will be moderated and
posted. The material included on this site is for informational purposes only. It is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. The reader should always consult her or his healthcare provider to determine the appropriateness of the information for their own situation. Krystyna and Bruss Bowman and Bowman House, LLC accept no liability for the content of this site, or for the consequences of any actions taken on the basis of the information provided. This blog contains information about our classes available in Chandler, AZ and Payson, AZ and is not the official website of The Bradley Method®. The views contained on this blog do not necessarily reflect those of The Bradley Method® or the American Academy of Husband-Coached Childbirth®. |
Still Tandem Nursing
Posted on July 21, 2012 at 6:49 AM |
![]() |
"This post was
written as part of The Breastfeeding Cafe's Blog Carnival. For more info on the
Breastfeeding Cafe, go to www.breastfeedingcafe.wordpress.com. For more info on the Carnival or if you want to participate, contact Timbra Wiist landslidephotography {at} hotmail {dot} com. Today's post is about weaning. Please read the other blogs in today's carnival listed in the comments section at www.breastfeedingcafe.wordpress.com The Carnival runs July 16th through the 31st!" I was determined that I would learn more about tandem nursing so that our next child could choose the time of his weaning if I got pregnant while he was still nursing. I imagined that I would nurse him until he was at least two years old. I did get pregnant while he was still nursing – that birthday arrived when I was around six months pregnant with our fourth baby. His second birthday came and went. He was still nursing. My due date approached…he was still nursing. Our baby was born…he wanted nothing to do with me for three days. Then he climbed on our bed, nonchalant as if he had not been ignoring me for three days, and asked to nurse. When I set a goal to nurse through a pregnancy, I did not think about what would happen if he nursed until the baby was born. We established some parameters: he could nurse after the baby nursed. He would have to respect my countdown from 10-1 if I chose to end the nursing session. He would have to give up the breast if the baby woke up and needed to nurse. The last one was that I would only nurse him at home. He bought into all the qualifiers…he is about to turn three years old in a few days and he is still nursing! It is usually only once a day, either in the morning when he wakes up or in the evening before bedtime. Occasionally, he still asks to nurse when we are in public, even when he knows by now that he is going to get a “no” answer. I give him props for persistence! Most of the negative comments on the photo were around the belief that extended nursing turns into an incestuous relationship. I am sad to say that this weighed on me and I questioned myself for a few weeks. Then I went back to my “mothering truths”: Did I believe that this was right for our family? (Yes) Did I have any issues around nursing our toddler? (Not at home) Did our toddler behave in such a way that would lead us to believe that he was suffering? (No) What did my instincts tell me? (I am okay, he is okay) Since my conclusion was that we were doing no harm, I meditated on that and let go of the shame I felt. Going forward, I do not have any concerns that this is going to be weird for us or that he is going to be scarred for life. I do not think our son looks at me as a sex object. It is a proven fact that the milk changes to accommodate a toddler’s needs, and I am so happy to see the proof that he is healthier for nursing. Whenever a “bug” runs through the family, our toddler and our baby are the least affected by it, if at all. He is fiercely independent despite the fact he still wants a daily connection with his mama. I also had one of our students (turned friend) who is an early childhood educator post that children do not start forming long-term memories until they are four-years old. Our toddler treats me like his mother and he knows I have milk. That is it. To put the idea that nursing a toddler is sexual to rest, I post this meme: Now that it is his birthday month, I remind him that he is going to turn three soon. I ask him when he is going to stop drinking my milk to see when I get a different answer. His answer, for now, is the classic hands out to the side, palms turned up with an added shoulder shrug. I do not know when he is going to wean completely. Sometime he will go 2-3 days without nursing and I think he might be done, and surprise! Then he remembers that he likes to nurse and he is asking for milk again. It has been an interesting tour into the land of tandem nursing, and one that has stretched me as a lactivist. I believe in peaceful discussions, and I can only tell people that this choice works for us. We will continue down this journey together for a while longer. My hope is that he will wean himself and that it will be a sweet parting. I know he will not be breastfeeding when he is in college, so sometime before then will be great! More about our tandem nursing experience here Disclaimer: The material included on this site is for informational purposes only. It is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. The reader should always consult her or his healthcare provider to determine the appropriateness of the information for their own situation. Krystyna and Bruss Bowman and Bowman House, LLC accept no liability for the content of this site, or for the consequences of any actions taken on the basis of the information provided. This blog contains information about our classes available in Chandler, AZ and Payson, AZ and is not the official website of The Bradley Method®. The views contained on this blog do not necessarily reflect those of The Bradley Method® or the American Academy of Husband-Coached Childbirth®. |
Our Journey Into Tandem Nursing
Posted on March 9, 2012 at 11:05 AM |
![]() |
Our story starts with our third pregnancy: We had gotten pregnant sooner than we
expected to, and after the first trimester I started having contractions every
time I nursed Brussito. Since we had already experienced a miscarriage and I did not
want to risk another one, I weaned him in a matter of about a week. It was so sad for me, especially since I know
breast milk contributed to his speedy recovery from illness when he was an infant.
Luckily, he was at the right developmental age to wean easily and life
went on. Child number three (Bryan) was born, and we got off to a
great start to our breastfeeding thanks to an early visit to see our
chiropractor. He did a little adjustment to correct the
misalignment that happened during his passage into the world. It was a huge improvement over the 30-60 day
acclimation period with our first two children.
They had nursed better on one side over the other, and the pain was so
intense that it made me cry every time I nursed on “that side”. By the time Bryan was ten days old, nursing
was pain-free and I had never felt better as a nursing mom. Bryan and I treasured our one-on-one time together. I craved it because most of my day was spent
homeschooling our older children. He loved snuggling up into my lap throughout
the day. We co-slept at night. It was all “hearts and flowers”. After Bryan was born, I met a couple of moms through La
Leche League meetings who breastfed their toddlers through their subsequent
pregnancies. I was heartbroken. I wondered how come their bodies worked and
mine did not. I wondered if I was
“broken” in another aspect of pregnancy and labor (I had had two debilitating
pregnancies and my labors take a long time to swing into high gear). Fast forward to early 2011: When I got pregnant with our fourth child, Bryan was
eighteen months old. At this point, he
was older than Brussito when I weaned him, so I figured if I had to do an
emergency weaning, I could make peace with it since I had already nursed him
longer than his brother. At eighteen
months, he was only nursing three to four times a day: when he woke up,
sometimes a “snack”, at naptime, and at bedtime. I was determined to ask more of my body this time
around. Knowing that it could be done, I
set my mind to keep our nursing relationship going because I really wanted to
allow Bryan a child-led weaning like I had with our first-born (she weaned at
twenty-two months). We made it through
the first trimester with no complications.
Hello, second trimester…and the crampy contractions when I nursed! How was I going to make this work? I decided to “talk” to the baby. By that I mean that I communicated thoughts
and images to my baby in-utero. I told
the baby that the oxytocin she felt was for nursing her brother, not for starting
labor. I told the baby that she was
safe, and that my body was working for a few minutes to feed her brother. Once nursing was over, I thanked my body for
not creating contractions. This mind
over matter worked! The contractions
stopped happening when I nursed, and the pregnancy continued to a healthy
conclusion. I know that by the third trimester, Bryan was only getting
colostrum. One time I did a little
hand-expression when I didn’t feel the let-down reflex, and this liquid was not
white – it was the golden liquid so precious after birth. I asked Bryan if he was okay with that, he
nodded yes, and kept right on nursing. We read our sibling preparation books over the summer to get
Bryan ready for the idea of becoming a big brother. One of the books we read shows a mother
nursing the new baby. I would point out
that the baby drank milk from their mama just like he did. About 36 weeks into the pregnancy, I realized what we had done – I had almost nursed through a pregnancy! Then it sank in – Bryan had not self-weaned
in that time, and if he were still nursing, that would mean that I would be
nursing two kiddos concurrently. Now
what? So I went to my reliable La Leche League leaders and asked
them what to expect and what I could do about tandem nursing. They confirmed the information that a couple
of Internet searches had yielded: feed the baby first; and it’s okay for him to
get the “baby’s colostrum”. They assured
me that the baby would get all the colostrum she needed even if Bryan was
having colostrum, too. They also warned
me that he might want to nurse all the time again. The new milk that came in was going to be sweeter
and more flavorful than the colostrum he had been having at the end of the
pregnancy. Equipped with that information, I started preparing Bryan
for sharing milk with his sister. I told
him that when his sister was born, she would need milk, too. I told him, “Poor baby – so sad for her. She can only have mama’s milk. She isn’t lucky like you – you get to eat
pizza, blueberries, ice cream (and so on with other favorite foods). Not the baby.
She can only have milk.” From
there, I told him, “Since baby can only have milk, she will have to eat
first. You can eat (favorite food) while
you wait your turn.” He also learned this scenario: Q: “Bryan, how will the baby tell us she needs milk?” A: “She will start crying.” Now you and I know that we can head off the crying by
responding to early cues, such as looking for the breast, gnawing on
fingers/knuckles, suckling in the general direction of the breasts if they are
in arms. I wanted to teach Bryan that
when we heard her escalated pleas for milk, she was going to get priority and
that he would learn to be okay with that. Well, I did not have much to worry about the first couple of
days after Angélika was born. Bryan was so stunned by the sights and sounds
of the new baby that he ignored both of us for a couple of days. By day three, he started coming into our room
voluntarily to see us. By day five, he
was signing for milk again. And so we
started establishing the new hierarchy that we had talked about. The first few times we told him he had to wait for the baby
to nurse first did not go well. He threw
a temper tantrum and even hit me a few times.
Daddy Bruss talked to him and reminded him what we had talked about –
that baby could only have milk. Then he
would take him to the kitchen to find something to eat while he waited his
turn. Five months later, we have settled into a nice routine. He still enjoys nursing and asks for his
“cheche” throughout the day; it’s his version of “leche”, the Spanish word for
milk. Most heartwarming of all – when he
hears the baby crying, he comes running.
He tells me, “Angélika’s crying, Mommy. She wants cheche.” To keep my sanity and some modicum of independence, I set
limits for Bryan and I. Otherwise I would probably be
nursing, or eating to keep up with all the nursing; nothing else would get
done! The first stipulation is that he can only nurse at
home. Although I am happy that we are
tandem nursing, I am not completely comfortable with nursing a two-and-a-half
year old in public. My natural living
circle of friends would have no problem with it. The challenge is that I wouldn’t do it if I were
not around them – and that would be confusing and problematic for Bryan. Maybe I will grow a little braver with
time. The second stipulation is that I will only nurse one child
at a time. I have seen it done, and
heard of other mamas who nurse non-twin siblings at the same time. With four kiddos, I would rather keep the
nursing one-on-one so that our special time remains “our” special time. So now I am tandem nursing.
I had pictured this butterflies and rainbows under sunny skies, earth
mama nourishing her children…it has never been that for me. For me it is juggling time, it is
negotiating, it is being still when I have other things to do. And yet, it is completely and utterly
fulfilling. My babies are thriving,
thanks in part to the milk my body makes for them. It was not what I expected; yet I am grateful
for the experience. Disclaimer: The
material included on this site is for informational purposes only. It is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. The reader should always consult her or his healthcare provider to determine the appropriateness of the information for their own situation. Krystyna and Bruss Bowman and Bowman House, LLC accept no liability for the content of this site, or for the consequences of any actions taken on the basis of the information provided. This blog contains information about our classes available in Chandler, AZ and Payson, AZ and is not the official website of The Bradley Method®. The views contained on this blog do not necessarily reflect those of The Bradley Method® or the American Academy of Husband-Coached Childbirth®. |
Categories
- Why we chose the Bradley Method� childbirth classes (14)
- Birth center (34)
- Birth Centers Phoenix AZ area (8)
- Birth place options (36)
- Bradley Method� outcome (44)
- Managing or coping with natural labor (33)
- natural labor coping mechanisms (35)
- Natural labor coping techniques (35)
- Pain management (23)
- Pain management natural labor (18)
- The Bradley Method� pain management (19)
- First stage labor (29)
- Birth plans (72)
- The Bradley Method® (68)
- Birth Story (33)
- Bradley Method® birth story (16)
- Birth Circle (9)
- Midwife (36)
- Midwifery Care (32)
- Cesarean Birth (35)
- Cesarean Surgery (27)
- Doulas (50)
- Second Stage Labor (21)
- Acupuncture (5)
- Parenting (63)
- Use of vacuum extraction (1)
- Breastfeeding (232)
- Chiropractic Care (10)
- Webster Protocol (3)
- Breastfeeding support (154)
- Information Center (101)
- The Bradley Method® classes (57)
- Placenta Encapsulation (11)
- Postpartum Depression (31)
- Breech presentation (8)
- Breech turning techniques (6)
- ECV (6)
- External Cephalic Version (6)
- Infections and Pregnancy (7)
- Bradley� Coaches (47)
- Coach's Corner (14)
- Coaches (47)
- Coaching (39)
- Exercise (18)
- Modern Mommy Boutique (10)
- Nursing and Maternity Bras (4)
- Transition (11)
- Postpartum Plan (29)
- Grief Counseling and Support Services (3)
- Miscarriage or Stillbirth (8)
- Pregnancy Loss (4)
- Variations and Complications (17)
- Going to your birthplace (9)
- Homebirth (58)
- Hospital Birth (57)
- Informed Consent (29)
- Patient Bill of Rights (2)
- Dehydration and Pregnancy (5)
- Fluid Retention (3)
- Heat Comfort Measures (7)
- Hyperthermia and Pregnancy (2)
- Pre-term Labor (4)
- Swelling in Pregnancy (2)
- Full term (9)
- Past due date (6)
- Postdate (7)
- Postmature baby (2)
- Crying (8)
- Newborn Care (23)
- Fussy baby (11)
- Support Groups (17)
- Pregnancy (69)
- Avoiding harmful substances (32)
- Toxins, pesticides, chemicals and pregnancy (18)
- Starting Solids (14)
- Drinking during labor (11)
- Eating during labor (12)
- NPO (2)
- Nutrition (37)
- Due Date (9)
- Planning for Baby (34)
- Child Spacing (3)
- Sibling Preparation for Newborn Arrival (9)
- Breastfeeding 101 (24)
- Debbie Gillespie, IBCLC, RLC (8)
- Circumcision (2)
- Lactivist (3)
- In Their Own Words (36)
- NIP (25)
- Nursing In Public (28)
- Childcare (17)
- Infant Classes (5)
- Photographer (5)
- Epidural (15)
- Depression (12)
- Allergies (3)
- Dairy Allergy (2)
- Breast Pumps (19)
- Postpartum Doula (11)
- Jaundice (2)
- Newborn jaundice (1)
- RSV (4)
- Postpartum (55)
- Labor Marathon (20)
- Labor Sprint (17)
- Belly Cast (2)
- Maternity Keepsake (1)
- Natural birth (34)
- Obstetrical Care (16)
- Engorgement (2)
- Uterine Rupture (3)
- Berman's Law (1)
- Back Labor (3)
- Healing (8)
- Hearing Screen (1)
- Perineum (4)
- Herbalist (2)
- Tandem Nursing (5)
- Breastfeeding Challenges (91)
- Tongue Tie (2)
- Tongue Tie Procedure (2)
- Bradley Day Family Picnic (5)
- Cephalo-Pelvic Disproportion (3)
- CPD (3)
- Failure to Progress (10)
- Fetal Distress (2)
- FTP (5)
- Pain (4)
- Prolonged Labor (3)
- Baby games (4)
- Playing with baby (5)
- Sensory games (2)
- Cesarean Support Group (16)
- Baby blues (8)
- NAP (5)
- Natural Alignment Plateau (6)
- Baby-led weaning (2)
- BLW (2)
- Comfort Measures (15)
- Flower Essences (4)
- Relaxation practice (4)
- First Foods for baby (2)
- Babywearing (21)
- Nursing (31)
- Sling (2)
- Soft-structured carrier (1)
- Wrap (2)
- Weaning (2)
- Co Sleeping (6)
- Family Bed (6)
- Relaxation (6)
- Meet the Doula (24)
- Bradley Method® (37)
- Bradley Method® for next baby (4)
- Bradley Method® for second pregnancy (5)
- Bradley™ classes and the next baby (4)
- Bradley™ classes for next pregnancy (3)
- Bradley™ classes for second pregnancy (3)
- Next baby (5)
- Next pregnancy (7)
- Repeat Bradley™ classes (1)
- Bedtime Routine (5)
- Children's Books (3)
- Breast Pumps and Workplace (10)
- Breastfeeding in Public (37)
- Communication (8)
- Labor Support (25)
- Amniotomy (5)
- AROM (6)
- Artifical Rupture of Membranes (5)
- Bag of Waters (5)
- Premature Ruptture of Membranes (4)
- PROM (4)
- ROM (4)
- Rupture of Membranes (4)
- La Leche League (8)
- Nursing Strike (2)
- Galactogogues (1)
- Increase Breastmilk (2)
- Milk Supply (2)
- CIO (4)
- Cry It Out (4)
- Teething (1)
- Hyperemesis Gravidarum (1)
- Morning Sickness (3)
- Nausea (2)
- Eclampsia (1)
- Healthy, Low-Risk (16)
- Pre-eclampsia (5)
- Rights for Homebirth (6)
- Traditions (2)
- Midwifery Scope of Practice Committee (5)
- Scavenger Hunt (1)
- Sweet Pea Births (5)
- Cassandra Okamoto (6)
- Mommy-Con (9)
- Phoenix Mommy-Con Mini (2)
- Vaginal Birth After Cesarean (18)
- Vaginal Birth After Multiple Cesareans (10)
- VBAC (21)
- Monitrice (1)
- Baby Concierge (4)
- First Birthday (1)
- Oxytocin (2)
- Warning Labels (3)
- Inside Look (19)
- Induction (12)
- Induction of Labor (8)
- Labor Induction (11)
- Episiotomy (3)
- Info Sheet (22)
- Information Sheet (22)
- Augmentation (4)
- Labor Augmentation (9)
- Cord Clamping (2)
- Delayed Cord Clamping (2)
- Immediate Cord Clamping (2)
- Birth Mantra (19)
- Rally to Improve Birth (4)
- Eye Drops (1)
- Eye Ointment (1)
- Eye Prophylaxis (1)
- Neonatal Eye Drops (1)
- Neonatal Eye Ointment (1)
- Neonatal Eye Prophylaxis (1)
- Wordless Wednesday (37)
- Big Latch On (1)
- Blog Carnival (3)
- IBCLC (11)
- Lactation Consult (3)
- Lactation Consultation (3)
- WBW2013 (1)
- World Breastfeeding Week (51)
- Thoughtful Thursday (3)
- Family Fun (18)
- Weekend Activities (1)
- Upcoming Events (81)
- Breastfeeding Awareness Month (76)
- Sleep Sharing (1)
- Newborn (12)
- Newborn Procedures (3)
- Preemies (4)
- Twins (1)
- Vitamin K (1)
- Vaccines (3)
- Fertility (10)
- Premature Baby (4)
- Babymoon (4)
- Green Nursery (4)
- Gowning (1)
- Affirmation (20)
- Birth News (5)
- First Trimester (1)
- Membranes (3)
- Stripping Membranes (2)
- Sweeping Membranes (2)
- Fear-Tension-Pain Cycle (2)
- Third Trimester (2)
- Baby (26)
- Infant Care (9)
- Contest (1)
- Family Fest (9)
- Giveaway (1)
- Birth (33)
- Nursery (3)
- Bradley® Dads (3)
- Mantra (8)
- Waterbirth (3)
- Essential Oils (1)
- Gestational Diabetes (1)
- Q&A with SPB (23)
- NICU (3)
- Placenta (4)
- Birth Story Listening (1)
- Meditation (3)
- Birthing From Within (3)
- Ask the Doula (1)
- Monday Mantra (4)
/