Welcome to weeks 13-27, better known as the second trimester. Things will seem so much more real once you start feeling your baby, and by the end of this trimester, you may just wonder how much bigger your uterus can get – and you will definitely be feeling some feet near your ribs. What is happening inside that womb right now?

YUCK. It’s the time of winter crud being passed around like crayons at the school table.  Even the little ones are susceptible.  Viruses are everywhere right now, and the warm to cold temperatures outside are not helping.

The holidays are here, and everyone is looking for a deal. You are in luck because what better gift can a couple give to their family members than a glimpse of their newest addition? Your appointment book will be full...

It's not news that we practice a lot of unnecessary things in the birth world.  It's also not news that we practice things that flat out don't work.  It seems though that tradition outweighs science until enough of the medical community stand together to make their voices heard. It has been common practice for well over 100 years to place an antibiotic ointment in the eyes of the newborn to prevent diseases that may cause blindness as the child grows.  The most common diseases are gonorrhea, chlamydia, and syphilis. In the late 1800's, it was silver nitrate that was placed on the newborn's eye lids, and it was very irritating to the baby’s eyes. Years later, the erythromycin antibiotic eye ointment became more commonly used as a treatment because it has fewer side effects to the newborn.  It is placed in the lower lid of the eye by the nurse by two hours of age.

More than 1/3rd of unplanned c-sections that occur in the United States are due to women “Failing to Progress” during their labor.   This statistic is upsetting.  If mothers were properly educated on labor, birth, and their rights during the entire process, the statistic would be drastically lower. A failure to progress generally means a failure to wait, a failure to allow the woman’s body to work, and a failure to let a woman own her body.

Did you know that there are  options to drinking the glucose test drink?  Well, there are! And talking to your doctor about it is easy.  You don't have to decline it or feel like you are 'opting out' of anything - instead, you are allowing your body to get a more accurate reading during the test!