Midwives provide primary care to healthy pregnant women and their babies throughout pregnancy, labour, birth, and the postpartum period. Depending on where you live, Midwives may deliver babies at home or in a hospital.
We asked Dr. Beverly Huang ND what women can do to help keep their stamina up during labor and delivery, especially if you only want to drink liquids or eat ice. She gave us this natural Labour Aid recipe that only takes about 10 minutes to prepare. It tastes good and is amazing for you no matter what you feel like putting into your system – it’s also a great energy drink for keeping your energy level up during athletic activities!
More and more of our girlfriends are choosing a midwife instead of a doctor during pregnancy and for childbirth, both at home and in a hospital.
Whether it’s your first or fifth baby, there are many reasons to hire a doula for support! Having a doula was important to me leading up to, during and after childbirth because of my man’s work schedule.
A doula is a birth companion or coach that provides emotional support to mothers before, during, or after childbirth (and physical support, as needed). Doulas may also provide support to a mother’s partner and family members and are often referred to as the dad’s “best friend”.
It’s not unusual when a baby eats every two hours or less, especially when they are a newborn.
Feeding a newborn baby is exhausting, especially if you’re breastfeeding! New parents can expect to feed their newborn baby at least eight times every 24 hours (for more info, see this Dr. Pam Q&A).
Most newborns feed every 3-4 hours, however
To say that childbirth isn’t easy understates it. So is saying that the after-effects aren’t sexy. A girlfriend once described the feeling after delivering her 10-pound baby as being like her insides were hanging out, which probably wasn’t too far from the truth!
Even without experiencing perineal tearing, the swelling and bruising caused by childbirth can range from uncomfortable to excruciatingly painful. It can take weeks, months, or even years to heal physically and emotionally from the trauma.
Here are our top five tips for postpartum comfort and perineal healing.
After childbirth, it can be difficult to sit let alone wipe down there (or, needless to say, have sex)! We asked Dr. Beverly Huang, NDfor a few ideas to help make things more comfortable while supporting an expedited healing process.
Dr. Beverly suggests this topical healing brew tea for cooling, cleansing and soothing the perineum after childbirth: “Pour the tea into squeeze bottle to use after each urination to cleanse and sooth the perineum. It will keep for two days on the back of the toilet. This tea can also be frozen in a peri bottle and used as it thaws out after the birth as a cooling spray on the perineum.”
Cold therapy can help to soothe the pain, bruising and irritation you experience after childbirth. But this padsicle recipe with perineal healing herbs is amazing because it helps our tender parts heal faster.
According to Dr. Beverly Huang, ND, “using Calendula tincture and Hypericum oil promotes tissue healing after childbirth”. She suggests using these healing herb padsicles:
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Sleep is so important but the optimal amount is different for each family member.
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