Going into my first pregnancy, I thought I was doing all the “right things” to prepare for the birth I wanted. I read all the books and took a hospital childbirth class, so of course I was prepared, right? When planning for pregnancy and birth, I simply followed the mainstream checklist of what you should do, unaware of all the options I truly had.

Ten years ago, plus one day, I was tired of waiting. At 40 weeks and 6 days, I had tried dancing, bumpy car rides, spicy food, even a rich chocolate lava cake that always made me have contractions. Nothing was working.

A membrane sweep feels like a new fad, even though it’s been used for the past several years. But it’s a new fad in that it has found its way into standard offerings by providers, including midwives.

…If someone tells you you’re having a big baby - whether it’s your provider, a nurse, the random man at Target who should have kept it to himself when he compared you to his sister who was having twins, just remember that your body is doing an amazing job…

…Postpartum should not be about survival. It should be about community helping you to function so you can be and do whatever you need within that.

As part of my doula training, I watched the Ted Talks called “Own Your Body’s Data” by Talithia Williams. It’s certainly a must-watch for birthworkers, but more so it’s a phenomenal watch for birthing people.

When I was pregnant with my first, we had two dogs. One, I assumed would just love the baby because he loved me. The second I wasn’t so sure about. Once, I held one of my friend's little ones and she proceeded to stare at me and bark incessantly. Never a good sign…

Transition by definition is the stage in labor where you are about 7/8 to 10cm dilated and contractions are strongest - coming about every 3-4 minutes and lasting 60-90 seconds in length. It’s the last stage of active labor and is often the most intense part.

Quick note…if you do not feel the urge to push, meaning your body is not asking you to, then don’t. If your provider team tells you that you are at 10cm and should start pushing, it’s ok to tell them that you want to wait for your body to do some more work before you push.