Let’s learn about prodromal labor today! Picture this...around 6pm you start feeling some small contractions. You think "maybe this is it!" They are only 10 minutes apart, so no need to go to the hospital yet. Just wait. But they don't get any stronger...all night. By morning they have fizzled out. 6pm rolls around again and you start noticing those contractions again, this time 7-8 minutes apart. You have to stop and breathe through some of these. This really must be baby day...right? Another restless night with contractions that stop by morning. Repeat and repeat... This scenario is call ..read more

I’m excited to introduce you to a great local resource for prenatal and postpartum fitness in Wichita! My personal trainer and friend Tiffany is the subject of today’s post. Meet Tiffany Harlan: Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Prenatal & Postnatal Fitness Specialist How did you get started as a prenatal and postpartum fitness instructor? TH: While I was pregnant, I did a lot of research on how to work out properly during pregnancy and postpartum. I noticed that there was not much information out there and a market that was untapped. I knew I wanted to do more as a personal tra ..read more

“Oh man, that sounds awesome, I’m so jealous” “How lucky! My labor was 24 hours” These are some responses I frequently hear when I mention precipitous birth, which is when the baby is born within less than 3 hours of labor. It might sound like “living the dream” to not be in labor very long, but a lot of people who have experienced this type of birth often wished their labor would have been just a little longer! Why? 1. Emotionally - it can be very shocking and jarring to be standing in the kitchen making a sandwich one minute, and pushing out a baby the next. Having clearly defined stages ..read more

I feel like I talk to people every day who are interested in working with a therapist as they navigate parenthood, but the effort of finding the right provider is just “one more thing” added to the already high mental load. I recently met a local Wichita therapist specializing in perinatal mental health, and I think you will all love her so I wanted to introduce her on here and recommend her as a great local resource! Veronica Amaro, LMSW 1. How did you become interested in serving the perinatal population? VA: I have always been amazed by what the human body is capable of, specifically in ter ..read more

Early labor, while not usually very uncomfortable yet, can seemingly drag on for many hours. Especially if it’s your first baby, it’s not uncommon to have contractions for 12-24 hours prior to going into really serious active labor. There are many reasons why we may have a crockpot labor rather than a microwave labor. Sometimes we can identify what is going on and sometimes we never know. I won’t go into all of the many possibilities, but a lot of them do boil down to one of these roots: baby not in a good position (therefore you have to have a lot more contractions to make any progress) e ..read more

First off, as your doula, we don’t have any TMI topics ;) When you lose your mucus plug is actually something that we like to be notified of, so we can answer your questions with quality information and have a heads up that labor could potentially begin soon! Let’s talk about the mucus plug in pregnancy so you’ll know what to expect. What is the mucus plug in pregnancy? During pregnancy, mucus naturally produced by your body collects in the cervix and forms a protective “plug”. This mucus plug serves to prevent bacteria from entering your uterus, where it could potentially cause infection. Wha ..read more

“I had my baby six weeks ago and just got my period…so not fair!” While this is technically possible, it’s uncommon if you’re exclusively breastfeeding. If you do not breastfeed and take steps to dry up your milk quickly after giving birth, you can expect your period to come back within 6 to 8 weeks postpartum. If you are exclusively breastfeeding, however, it is possible that you may not have a period the entire duration of your breastfeeding relationship, whether that is 3 months, 6 months, 12 months, etc. More often, when I hear of someone suddenly bleeding at 6 weeks after a week or two of ..read more

If you want to have a physiological labor and birth in the hospital, you need to educate yourself. If you are having a healthy and low risk pregnancy it is totally possible! Currently, over 31% of American babies are born via Cesarean. Yet 95% of pregnant women desire and plan for a vaginal birth. What is going on and what are some ways that we can help prevent the primary Cesarean? Learn the 3 keys to better chances of a vaginal birth (with or without epidural) ?? Access the free natural hospital birth class now ..read more

How to Choose Your Child's Pediatrician This is a common question during pregnancy. Here in Wichita there are not very many pediatricians and well-known ones get booked up, so if you prefer to take your child to a pediatrician rather than a family doctor, it’s best to find, interview, and select the one you want earlier on in the process. Also, this will ideally enable you to have your pediatrician come to the hospital to do your baby’s initial checkups after birth. Everyone is different and thankfully there are all different personalities and practice styles when it comes to pediatricians, so ..read more

Breast pumps usually come with a couple different choices in flange size. However, breasts and nipples don’t just come in a couple sizes. Pumping shouldn’t be painful and while it won’t be 100% as effective as a real baby, it should do an efficient and decent job of extracting milk! Here’s how to do a fit check of your breast pump. First, make sure you get your breast pump when you are in your third trimester of pregnancy. You don’t want to be caught off guard after giving birth and you’re stressed out in the middle of the night, desperately needing to pump, but you’ve never even taken it out ..read more