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!

The truth is that winter means something different depending on where you live.  A 70-degree day in Florida will not require the same baby items as an entire season of ice, snow, and freezing temperatures in other parts of the country.  If you are lucky enough to live in the cold areas of the country, you may need some help figuring out everything you need for baby this winter!

You have in your arms a beautiful child already, maybe more than one. You are all happy and healthy, but something about your previous birth haunts you. Something says, “I want to do it different next time.”