In October 2020, I was excited to learn I was having my first child. I had been a Labor & Delivery nurse for 8.5…
You may be sore or uncomfortable after your birth experience, whether you had a vaginal or cesarean birth. Here’s how you can recover throughout…
Childbirth classes are essential when preparing for baby—explore your options with your partner to decide which type of class is right for you. The…
In most birth settings, just as soon as a baby is born the umbilical cord is clamped and a parent or nurse typically makes…
Are you considering scheduling your baby’s birth? You have friends who have asked for inductions to help with busy family schedules, but you’ve also…
Maybe your first baby was born by cesarean and you’ve been told “once a cesarean, always a cesarean.” Or you’ve read about the recent…
A leading coalition of experts are warning moms to avoid elective inductions before 39 weeks gestation as a spike in earlier inductions has led…
Want to keep your pregnancy as problem-free as possible? You know that eating well, exercising and avoiding tobacco and alcohol are important for a…
You’ve kept every prenatal appointment, yet your healthcare provider has now advised it’s more risky for your baby to remain in the uterus and…
Do you have a reproductive life plan? If not, the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) wants you to write one. A reproductive…
If your idea of the perfect birth plan includes laboring upright and freely, without pain medications and beginning breastfeeding as soon as your baby…
As a doula—a labor support person—Penny Simkin, PT, has helped more than 11,000 couples prepare for childbirth in more than 43 years of practice.…
I tell many pregnant moms that completing a term pregnancy (40 weeks) is like being a marathon runner. Giving birth requires endurance, perseverance, and…
At some point in your pregnancy the reality strikes that this baby will need to come out. For most women, the impending prospect of…
The Importance Of Skin To Skin You may have already included the request in your birth plan to have your baby placed on your…
Your last baby was born via cesarean and now you’re contemplating the birth of this next baby—do you know your options for having what…
Twenty-five years after the birth of my first child, I can still remember how awful I felt. Sure I was excited about this beautiful…
Contrary to popular myth, you’re not awaiting a flood when your water bag breaks. Here’s how to tell when it happens and when to…
Congratulations! You have a new baby and you’re home and happy in the bliss of new parenthood. The days and weeks go by in…
If the notion of natural childbirth (NCB) conjures up hours of writhing in pain without any means of comfort, read on. NCB is how…