During Labor: 4 Cardinal Rotations of the Baby
How the Baby Rotates Through the Pelvis During Labor 1. Baby needs to slide under the sacral promontory (the junction of the low back and the pelvis), and then align their head with the top of the pelvis to then engage into the pelvis. During Labor The baby tends to begin the descent through the […]
Pregnancy: Physiological Adaptations
Pregnancy: Physiological Adaptations The physiological adaptations that occur throughout pregnancy include: changes to the cardiovascular system, the respiratory system, the metabolic system, and the musculoskeletal system. Most systems improve in function in order to accommodate for fetal growth and maternal function, but the musculoskeletal system decreases in function and requires regular exercise to counter the […]
Pregnancy: Benefits of Exercise
Benefits of Exercise during Pregnancy Exercise throughout pregnancy is beneficial for both mother and baby, and can enhance prenatal comfort and function, improve birth outcomes, and support postpartum recovery. The maternal physiological adaptations are enhanced with exercise, to include 10-15% higher blood volume and cardiac output, improved metabolic functioning, improved respiratory function, and increased volume […]
Birth Story: Eoghan’s Home Birth Story After Two Pregnancy Losses
Listen to Eoghan’s Birth Story Eoghan’s Birth Story In March 2020, we decided to switch from planning a hospital birth to a home birth after COVID-19 began to prompt hospitals to restrict visitors and support persons allowed on labor and delivery. While we had hoped by June the restrictions would be lifted, I didn’t want […]
Labor and Postpartum Baskets
Over the past few weeks, I have been preparing these baskets in preparation for my upcoming home birth and postpartum period. These baskets contain items for labor comfort, labor nourishment, newborn care, and postpartum + breastfeeding support, that are easy to move around my home and access items that support each journey. In my last […]
Tearing: Reducing The Risk
Vaginal tearing is a common occurrence for women during vaginal delivery. Most of us would like to avoid tearing during delivery, but in some instances, this may be unavoidable. Is there anything we can do to reduce our risk of tearing during vaginal delivery? What if we have had tears in previous deliveries, are we […]
Breech Presentation: Possible Causes and Solutions
There are several speculations on what may cause breech presentation, or when baby is head up. This presentation tends to result in a scheduled cesarean, so many of us may be looking for solutions toward the end of our pregnancies when we discover the baby is breech. But can you do anything prior to the […]
Postpartum: Return to Fitness
When should you return to fitness in the postpartum, and what considerations should you have when approaching fitness after childbirth? When returning to fitness in the postpartum, you will need to consider the type of delivery that you had. Did you have a vaginal birth or cesarean birth? Did you have any vaginal tearing? How […]
Labor: Conditioned Relaxation Response
A conditioned response for labor is a learned physiological response to a previously neutral stimulus. For example, in Pavlov’s dog experiment, he rung a bell whenever he fed a dog and eventually when the dog hears a bell being rung, he begins to drool having learned to associate the stimulus of the bell ringing with […]
SI Joint Discomfort and Pain During Pregnancy
What can you do if you have SI Joint pain? Discomfort in the back of the pelvis could be your sacroiliac joint (SI Joint) and tends to be more to one side than the other. It can feel like deep, glute pain more towards one side. And tends to increase with single leg movements, walking, […]
Baby Tuck Chin During Labor: Why It Matters & How to Help
First, why does it matter how your baby is positioned during labor? A baby with a flexed head, or tucking their chin towards their chest, presents a smaller diameter of their head to the cervix and pelvic openings. The head seems to mold better. And there is less resistance with a flexed head during the […]
3 Epidural Laboring Positions: Find Movement During Labor
Getting an epidural doesn’t mean that you now have to lie still in bed. We can still find tons of movement even with pain relief! Read this blog to learn three movements that you can do with an epidural!