All in Birthing
Birth classes are valuable for building knowledge, confidence, and a support network as you approach your due date. Let’s explore some of the key benefits these classes offer to first-time parents and how personalized birth classes can make your experience even more rewarding.
A mucus plug is similar to vaginal discharge in consistency and makeup, but it’s much thicker, denser and there’s a lot of it…which makes sense because it’s designed to protect your baby from any harmful material that might enter the uterus.
Whether you’re aiming for a smooth delivery or simply a nutritious start for you and your growing baby, okra is an MVP in the building of a strong birthing body. Nutritious and rich in vitamins, minerals, and fiber, okra is often used in traditional medicine and it has been suggested that it may have benefits for pregnant people as well.
I literally crossed a threshold into a new way of being, thinking and moving in this world. And it was right on time. This Fall, I will officially begin training to become a childbirth educator with Birthing from Within, an organization committed to honoring the sacred in birth experiences.
Her vigilance was with her over the years, even as she supported my postpartum recovery. Days after delivering my daughter, it was my mother who noticed I wasn’t feeling well. She ended up ringing the alarm for me when I couldn’t recognize that I may have been at risk for blood pressure complications of my own.
As we headed downstairs to the family room (where my birth area was set up), we didn’t say much to each other. We didn’t get anxious or scared. We simply moved. Looking back on the experience I’m in awe at how in sync and grounded we were. It’s as if birth and my anxiety couldn’t occupy the same space.
I was not gentle with myself. And I was so sad for my baby who had no say in her genetic coding. But I had to center the facts. We knew the chances of us having a child with sickle cell. But the fact is, we created our daughter in love, and that is exactly what I needed to center as we raise, nurture, teach and fight for her.
How do we protect our narrative and stop it from becoming the medical systems’ tool for fear mongering? And how do we do this while honoring those who have been harmed? These are not simple questions. But we can all play a role in the answers.
All of our stories are like wells, providing growth for ourselves, our diverse narrative, and our maternal health advocacy.
I jokingly tell people “my first baby had to be evicted.” It was a big departure from the low-intervention birth we wanted.
I will share our stories of pain and peace, laughter and sorrow, tragedy and triumph, to help nourish a whole and balanced picture of what our maternal health looks like.
