As a Bradley teacher, the families who seek my classes often have the goal of a natural birth. This is a beautiful intention for the birth of their child. If this is your goal, I want you to know what you can do to help you achieve the birth you are seeking. But, it's not the sole point of taking prenatal classes or a way to measure whether the classes “worked.” Sometimes even teachers misunderstand what the point of our teaching actually is. Our goal is very clearly stated i

Update 3/1/21: Good news that this decision has been reversed and my class couple have been reinstated into the midwives care. Woot, woot! Original post: I try not to be cynical. Or feel overly despondent at the forces that loom in our midst much larger than any one individual that impact our birth experiences and our initiation into new parenthood. I know from experience that I can help new parents have awareness, skills, and some control over the decision-making processes t

During my second pregnancy I used a phrase I found attributed to Tich Naht Hanh as a mantra for my relaxation practice (I call these Anchor Thoughts in my childbirth classes), which I subsequently recited for much of my labor (you know, until I hit transition, when I was just hanging on for the ride!) So, when I came upon an interview with him I took some time to listen. The best part of the interview came at the end, when Oprah asks him about healing the world and cultivatin

Some pregnant mothers worry about how breastfeeding will go. They hear a lot of discouraging stories about how hard it is. This can make new mamas anxious about what’s in store for them (as if worrying about the birth wasn’t enough!) Breastfeeding doesn’t have to be hard. There is a lot that can be done in pregnancy to lay the groundwork for breastfeeding ease and success. In fact, pregnancy is the perfect time to prepare for your breastfeeding relationship with your baby. He

How would you feel if your partner was absolutely not allowed to be in the hospital with you during your labor and the birth of your baby? You couldn’t have anyone you know there. You would be dropped off at the front of the hospital, wave goodbye, and then wheeled up to labor and delivery – by yourself. Imagine this. How would this make you feel? It sounds like a horror story, right? The crazy thing is that this actually was what was happening to laboring mothers during the

The first time my husband and daughters took me out on the John Muir Trail to experience Nevada Falls, they assured me it was the easy path. They are really good hikers. They've hiked to and up Half Dome - twice. The first time they set out on this adventure, I took an art class in Yosemite Valley and milled around Happy Isles while they hiked from dawn until almost dusk. That was a lot more my speed. We go to Yosemite for a week most summers. Hiking to Nevada Falls is a trad

I recently saw If Beale Street Could Talk with a dear friend of mine. There is so much about this film that moved me. The real life implications of institutionalized and systemic racism are a major part of the film. While that is a worthy subject in and of itself, what also stood out to me were the narratives of love, mothering, and relationships. I felt so moved by the strength of the family ties. When a young pregnant Tish is troubled by her anxieties and bad dreams during

Birth is the bridge that takes you to the other side. It is not the other side itself, but it connects the two. Birth is the space between the spiritual and physical planes. In it you are literally suspended between two worlds, calling your baby's soul to you. I see the bridge connecting the unconscious and spirit to the manifestation of the physical. How that crossing goes affects our perceptions as we reach the other side. Did we feel supported and safe so that as we step o

Protein needs increase during pregnancy and lactation. Eating a good breakfast with good protein is a must (and really this is not just for pregnancy - this is a mom strategy to keep kids going, so it is definitely to your benefit to get a leg up on this now.) Sometimes I see pregnant mamas struggle with getting a good breakfast when I look at their Nutrition Worksheets. So, this is the start of a series designed to inspire you to both think outside the box (you know, what's

If you are wanting a natural childbirth, are you wondering how you are going to make this happen? When I read Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way two decades ago, the idea of a natural birth just resonated with me. It felt right. A natural birth was what I wanted for my beloved baby. My gynecologist didn’t deliver babies, so when I realized I was pregnant I needed to choose a health care provider for the birth. Ideally this would have been done before I got pregnant, but my fi

What helps a mama to feel at ease during her pregnancy, during labor and birth, and after her baby is born? Yep, it is continuity of care. In two prior blog posts I explored what is really being delivered (pun intended!) by obstetricians and certified nurse midwives in the hospital setting focusing on the issue of continuity of care and whether this important factor (that all mothers want) is met or not. The desire for this experience is the major mostly unconscious emotional

I teach a 12-week childbirth education course. Yep, that’s three whole months. Most mamas are well into their second trimester or in their third trimester when they sign up. We always talk about the importance of choosing a health care provider who truly supports the pregnant mother’s birth goals. This is so important and makes such a mark on a mother and baby’s experience of birth that I cannot over emphasize it enough. Even so, it’s extremely rare for families to switch pro

Happy 4th of July, dear reader! Today is the day we celebrate the birth of our country, the United States of America. We honor our forefathers and foremothers who risked their lives envisioning and creating a whole new way to run government, creating a new society. To this end, we were promised life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. With freedom comes responsibility. The responsibility for making choices to ensure this privilege of life and liberty, as well as our abili

I just had a very happy discovery - scrolling through my Facebook feed I found out that one of the families I had worked with during my first year of teaching just had twins. Yes, naturally at the hospital. Woot, woot for them! This couple took my Bradley Method class with their first child, a daughter. She was born with the UCLA Midwives. Mom and dad worked together - no doula. We train "dude-las." I remember this mama really loved using the shower - great birthing tool for