All tagged Parenting Preparation
Welcoming a new baby into the family is a momentous occasion, one that can be even more magical when older siblings are involved. Homebirth offers a unique and intimate setting where children can witness the miracle of birth in a safe and supportive environment. However, preparing older children for this experience requires thoughtful planning and open communication. Here’s how to ensure your older children are ready and supported when attending the upcoming homebirth of their sibling.
Do you ever get tired of hearing about surrender? Yay, me too.
The reason birth workers go on about it so much though, is because surrender is often a necessary part of birth and parenting – sometimes it’s surrendering to the power of the surges running through your body, or surrendering to the need for unwished for medical interventions, or surrendering to the sleep deprivation and high needs of your newborn in the early weeks of postpartum.
Why is asking for help so. damn. hard?!
Our culture values independence. In fact, we value it so highly that we’d often rather be miserable, exhausted, overwhelmed, and independent then thriving, joyful, rested, and interdependent.
Here’s the secret though – it doesn’t have to be that way. The only reason it IS that way is because we’ve all agreed to it. So if enough of us decided another way is better, then THAT would be the way.
Birth Geekery is a new blog series designed to put interesting, fun, USEFUL, and occasionally nerdy resources at your disposal.
Each post will feature two to three resources that I love and frequently share with our clients so that you can check them out too!
Do you know what you need? Most of us would say we do.
But have you ever had those moments where you are looking around at your life and you KNOW you have everything you could possibly need and yet, somehow, you still feel a bit off, a little dissatisfied, certain there MUST be something more?
(And because we LOVE to have feelings about our feelings, you of course immediately feel bad for feeling dissatisfied because - LOOK! - you have everything you need)
PART THREE: This one’s for you dads and partners!
When we talk about birth preparation, a lot of the focus goes to the birthing person: how will they cope? how will they get through? what do they need to know?
Which makes perfect sense. Labour is an intense and transformative experience that takes a person to their edges and then asks for a little bit more.
PART TWO: This one’s for you dads and partners!
When we talk about birth preparation, a lot of the focus goes to the birthing person: how will they cope? how will they get through? what do they need to know?
Which makes perfect sense. Labour is an intense and transformative experience that takes a person to their edges and then asks for a little bit more.
PART ONE: This one’s for you dads and partners!
When we talk about birth preparation, a lot of the focus goes to the birthing person: how will they cope? how will they get through? what do they need to know?
Which makes perfect sense. Labour is an intense and transformative experience that takes a person to their edges and then asks for a little bit more.
Stepping into new motherhood, I felt really prepared. I had an arsenal of doulas in my corner and I had a library of resources to draw from (should I need them). I felt quite confident that I could face the unknown and roll with the punches. Even with all the reassurances, it was still an initiation that my heart wasn’t prepared for.
Welcoming a new baby into your family is an exciting and joyous occasion and it also puts significant strain on even the most rock solid relationship. Drs. John and Julie Gottman discovered that “67% of couples had become very unhappy with each other during the first three years of their baby’s life. Only 33% remained content.” (source >>)
When preparing to give birth and become a parent, Birthing From Within teaches that there are three kinds of knowing that are essential to the process. It is essential to explore all three kinds of knowing because even if we spent every day together for the next four years learning only about birth and postpartum and parenting, I still would not be able to teach you everything you need to know. Why? Because at its heart, birth is a rite of passage.
In an ideal world, every pregnant person would have the ability to carefully and intentionally choose a maternity care provider who was a good match for them.
In Calgary, the reality of choosing a maternity care provider is more akin to “You get what you get and you don’t get upset”. This means that sometimes you and your maternity care provider are not a good fit for each other and the relationship may suffer from a breakdown in communication, mutual respect, and/or trust.
Sometimes, you may be able to change care providers. But if not, or you choose to stay with your current care provider, what can you do to cultivate a more positive, functional relationship? How can you advocate for yourself and your baby in a kind and assertive way?
