Sabiduría: Childbirth Education and Lactation Counseling

You can find prenatal classes on just about any topic you wish and the number of classes offered can be overwhelming.

Let's break it down: which are the most critical classes to take during pregnancy for the most positive outcomes?

1) Labor and birthing techniques, or childbirth education classes: these classes are designed to prepare you both theoretically and practically for labor and birth. You will receive information about the physical processes during labor and delivery as well as decision making, common interventions, what to expect during each stage, how to express your desires, and much more. These classes can be great for any pregnant woman and her support person, but are particularly helpful for first-time moms-to-be.

2) Prenatal exercise classes: staying active during pregnancy is vital to both mom and baby's physical health, mom's mental and emotional health, and for more positive outcomes with labor and delivery. There are many different activities you can do while pregnant, but also some that are best to avoid. If you can take classes with someone who specializes in prenatal exercise, you will be sure to have safe and helpful routines throughout pregnancy.

3) Lactation Education: especially important for first-time moms-to-be, lactation education will prepare you to successfully breastfeed your baby from the moment they are born. Don't forget that breastfeeding can be something that you and your baby choose to do for years, so invest in good lactation education to have a successful breastfeeding journey.

For more information, visit www.sabia-mujer.com

✨Sabiduría: to promote knowledge about women and motherhood.

You can find naturally occurring folate in different foods, but don't forget to take your folic acid supplement (or prenatal vitamins that contain the recommended 400mcg or more).

Folic acid is critical in the early stages of pregnancy and you can even begin taking supplements before becoming pregnant if you are trying to conceive.

Folic acid has been found to decrease the risk of neural tube defects in fetal development, primarily during the first 12 weeks of gestation.

Don't forget to ask your doctor if you are getting adequate folic acid during pregnancy!

✨Sabiduría: to promote knowledge about women and motherhood.

Feel confident. Avoid the painful latch, cracked ni***es, and worry about supply. Know your body and trust in your body's ability to nourish your baby.

Learn all about breastfeeding before baby arrives to feel prepared and confident for a successful breastfeeding journey.

Join and "All about Breastfeeding" class today!

✨Sabiduría: to promote knowledge about women and motherhood

www.sabia-mujer.com

Whether it's early pregnancy nausea and vomiting or late pregnancy heartburn, there are a lot of digestive changes in your body during pregnancy (physical and hormonal).

One easy tip to reduce these discomforts is to eat smaller and more frequent meals. Instead of eating three main meals in the day, try to break these down into two "mini" meals each. The smaller amount of food in one sitting will give your body the chance to digest the food more easily, helping to reduce some of these discomforts.

Keep your meals well-balanced to ensure that you and baby are getting all of the nutrients you need.

✨Sabiduría: to promote knowledge about women and motherhood.

We all know about the three trimesters of pregnancy, but have you heard of the fourth trimester?

The fourth trimester is a term used to refer to the first three months postpartum. These months are when your baby is considered a newborn and when your body is recovering from pregnancy and childbirth.

Just like during pregnancy, the fourth trimester brings many physical and emotional changes and challenges. These challenges can be reduced by educating yourself before the baby is born, knowing what to expect, making coping strategies, and talking to your support system.

Feel confident and empowered to enjoy your fourth trimester and this special time with your little one, knowing that you are prepared for what lies ahead.

To learn more, visit www.sabia-mujer.com

✨Sabiduría: to promote knowledge about women and motherhood

Having your birth bag packed and ready to go ahead of time can make you feel calmer and more prepared for when you go into labor. But what should you have in your bag?

For mom:
- Clothes for labor and delivery (if you intend to wear something, or something other than the hospital gown).
- Comfortable clothes for after delivery that will help facilitate breastfeeding. Dark clothes may be preferable to avoid staining from postpartum bleeding.
- Comfort items for labor: optional things you may want for labor, such as essential oils, a special object, massage items, lotion, etc.
- Toiletry essentials that you want for the duration of your stay
- Postpartum supplies: pads* or adult diapers, perineal spray or spray bottle, nursing pads
- Favorite snacks: labor is hard work and you may be extremely hungry afterwards, so there is nothing better than having a few favorite snacks readily available!

For baby:
- Outfit for going home
- Swaddle and cap
- Newborn diapers*
- Blanket for going home

For your support person:
- Changes of clothing
- Essential toiletries
- Snacks and entertainment (books, magazines, etc)

*While these will likely be provided at your place of birth, it doesn't hurt to have a few extras or your brands of choice available.

✨Sabiduría: to promote knowledge about women and motherhood.

Have you ever been told that holding your baby all the time will "spoil" them and make them bratty when older? I know I have! This is a common myth where I live in Ecuador and in many places, but it is just that, a myth!

Newborns and infants rely on their caregivers for everything, including their physical and emotional needs. Newborns do not cry to manipulate you, they cry because they need something. That something may be nothing more than to feel the strength, comfort and security of mom's arms!

While it will not hurt a baby to let them cry if you need a breather, shower, or snack, it also will not hurt them to give them all the snuggles and love in the world. You are their safe space and by holding them while they are little, you are forming emotionally stable, independent kids.

Enjoy the time you have with your kids when they are newborns and hold and snuggle them every chance you get!

✨Sabiduría: to promote knowledge about women and motherhood

Sabiduría para fomentar el conocimiento sobre la mujer y la maternidad

𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐬𝐨 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐝𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐲?

Breastfeeding is hard. It is like so many other learned skills that take knowledge and practice to master. While the practice has to wait until your baby arrives, you can learn all about breastfeeding during pregnancy to be prepared when baby is born.

Women who successfully breastfeed during the first hour(s) postpartum are more likely to continue with exclusive breastfeeding for longer than women who have a more difficult initiation. While there is amazing support available from lactation counselors, this support is not present in the delivery room and may not reach you for hours or days postpartum.

With prenatal preparation, however, you can be knowledgeable, confident and empowered to nourish your baby from birth!

Sign up for Sabiduría's "All About Breastfeeding" masterclass today! www.sabia-mujer.com

✨Sabiduría: to promote knowledge about women and motherhood

While the greatest dietary recommendations during pregnancy are to eat a healthy and balanced diet, there are some foods that should be avoided because they carry risk of introducing bacteria or substances that may be harmful to your baby.

When pregnant, you should avoid:
- Raw or undercooked meat (including seafood)
- Raw or partially cooked eggs
- Deli meat
- Soft cheeses
- Alcohol, to***co and drugs

While it doesn't have to be avoided entirely, you should also limit consumption of fish high in mercury.

If restricting some of these foods might be a challenge for you, just remember that nine months of some dietary restrictions can mean a lifetime of health for your child!

To learn more about how to have a healthy, happy pregnancy, register for Sabiduría's "Healthy Pregnancy" class today! www.sabia-mujer.com

✨Sabiduría: to promote knowledge about women and motherhood.

You are not in this alone, so don't feel like you have to do everything alone!

Asking for help from others does not make you weak or incapable. Instead, it helps make you a stronger, more confident mother and strengthens the bond of motherhood that is shared around the world.

And, besides having a an endless support system, who better understands the inexplicable joy, love and fun of motherhood better than other moms?

✨Sabiduría: to promote knowledge about women and motherhood

The journey to motherhood is beautiful, but it can also be challenging. Pregnancy not only changes a woman's body from the inside out, but it also often requires lifestyle changes around diet and exercise.

While nobody else can be pregnant for you, others in your life can support you by undertaking the same lifestyle changes! Exercising together and eating the same foods can be a simple yet powerful way for you and your partner to share in the journey.

How else did your partner support you during pregnancy? What other things did you do to make you both feel part of the journey?

I would love to hear your thoughts!

✨Sabiduría: to promote knowledge about women and motherhood.

Breathe. You did it, mama!

A baby's first cry is magical to a mother's ears. ❤

Do you remember that moment? What were you feeling?

Share with me in the comments below 👇

✨Sabiduría: to promote knowledge about women and motherhood

While there are safe medications to take during pregnancy, there are others that can be harmful to your baby in utero.

The same is true for herbs and natural remedies! This is often less-known because we think of them as something that is natural and harmless, but some can have adverse affects during pregnancy, such as stimulating uterine contractions, increased risk of miscarriage, etc.

Whether you are considering taking an over-the-counter drug or an herbal remedy, it is better safe than sorry, so be sure to check with your provider beforehand.

✨Sabiduría: to promote knowledge about women and motherhood.

It takes a village to raise a child, and this village is also essential to take care of mom.

In today's world, moms too often isolate themselves and make sacrifices to their own social and emotional health to protect the physical health of their baby.

This world is not what any of us could have imagined, but it is a new reality that we must accept and learn to live in. Just because we can't always visit our friends or family in person doesn't mean they don't need us!

Postpartum is hard. Motherhood is hard. Reach out to the moms in your life and offer them emotional support, even if it's virtual. They will be more grateful than you can imagine!

Do you need additional support during your journey with motherhood?

Feel free to contact me!

✨Sabiduría: to promote knowledge about women and motherhood.

Staying active during pregnancy is one of the best things you can do for yourself and your baby! With your doctor's approval, there are many different safe types of exercise you can do doing pregnancy and the benefits can be enormous.

Staying active from early in pregnancy can help reduce the common discomforts later in pregnancy as baby grows. It can also help prepare you for labor and help with an easier and shorter labor (which every mom dreams of!).

Some highly recommended and safe activities during pregnancy include:

- Yoga
- Pilates
- Walking/jogging
- Swimming
- Spinning
- Zumba

You should avoid activities with an increased risk of falling (cycling, horseback riding) or risk of impact to the abdomen (contact sports, sports with a ball).

The most important thing to remember is to listen to your body! Do not over do it, but rather participate in low-impact, mild exercise; both your mind and your body will thank you.

✨Sabiduría: to promote knowledge about women and motherhood.

It is very normal to feel contractions well before going into labor. If your contractions are mild and irregular, they are most likely Braxton Hicks contractions. These contractions can be felt anywhere from the second trimester onwards and they are practice contractions for your body to prepare for birth.

Typically, Braxton Hicks contractions feel like sudden tightness in your abdomen and last for 30 seconds or less. They are typically not painful, but they might be uncomfortable.

Braxton Hicks contractions are nothing to worry about. They do not signal preterm labor, rather they are just your body practicing. Some women may feel many Braxton Hicks contractions throughout the end of pregnancy while others don't feel any. There is no advantage or disadvantage to either scenario, rather just another way in which each pregnancy is different!

For more information, visit: www.sabia-mujer.com

✨Sabiduría: to promote knowledge about women and motherhood.

If you are a cat owner, don't worry. You do not need to avoid contact with your cat during pregnancy!

Cats can be carriers of the parasite Toxoplasma, which often comes from them eating small rodents. This can pose dangers to your child if you contract Toxoplasmosis during pregnancy, so if you do own cats, taking simple precautions will keep your unborn child safe.

The Toxoplasma parasite is spread through cat f***s and the parasite becomes infectious 1-5 days after being shed in the cat f***s. To avoid infection, use the following precautions while pregnant:

- Avoid changing the litter box if you are able. If not, use disposable gloves, change the litter box every day, and wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water after changing
- Keep your cat indoors while you are pregnant
- Avoid adopting a new cat during pregnancy
- Wear gloves when gardening and in the soil in case of contamination with cat f***s and wash your hands with soap and water when done

If Toxoplasmosis is detected during pregnancy there is treatment that you must undergo and both you and your baby will be monitored closely during pregnancy and beyond.

With these simple precautions, you can continue to love on your cuddly companion while keeping yourself and your baby safe.

✨Sabiduría: to promote knowledge about women and motherhood

Your body will not betray you, so do not betray it with negative thoughts!

It is normal to be nervous or anxious for labor, especially for first-time moms. What will it be like? Can I handle the contractions? What if I can't?

The answer is that you CAN do it. You are your body, so you can make it through the contractions that are a part of you.

Don't just take my word for it. Prepare yourself and empower yourself with knowledge about the physical and physiological processes of labor and birth so that you believe in yourself and your body.

You are strong. You've got this, mama!

✨Sabiduria: to promote knowledge about women and motherhood

While I don't recommend dwelling on the worst-case scenarios and outcomes, it is important to remember that obstetric emergencies do occur. The better prepared you are, the more likely you are to catch a problem before it becomes too serious.

During pregnancy and postpartum, it is important to know and recognize the warning signs of something that could be more than just typical pregnancy discomforts. Remember to listen to your body!

Some people are embarrassed to seek care or think that it is just a normal part of pregnancy, but it is always better safe than sorry. Some of the most serious warning signs are:

- Severe headache that doesn't go away, dizziness or fainting
- Fever of 38°C/100.4°F or higher
- Extreme swelling, redness or pain in your face, hands, arms and/or legs
- Change in your vision, including blurry vision
- Bleeding or loss of fluid prenatally, excess bleeding postpartum
- Severe abdominal pain and/or reduced fetal movements
- Thoughts of harming yourself or your baby
- Extreme nausea or vomiting (outside of the normal morning sickness)
- Trouble breathing, chest pain, or abnormally rapid pulse

If you experience any of these or other symptoms of concern, seek immediate medical attention.

Being prepared doesn't mean be paranoid or expecting the worst, it means doing your part to ensure the best pregnancy, delivery and postpartum for you and baby!

For more information about pregnancy, birth and breastfeeding, visit: www.sabia-mujer.com

✨Sabiduría: to promote knowledge about women and motherhood

Birth doulas (and all doulas for that matter!) play an amazing role in supporting mom and her partner during birth when often the focus otherwise is on baby and getting baby out.

I know some amazing doulas and they provide amazing support and security in what can otherwise be a very unfamiliar space.

If you have been thinking about having a doula, you should look into the options in your area. Meet with several doulas until you find the perfect fit! Remember, this should be someone who you feel completely comfortable with and who you will be an added support, not any additional stress.

If you are unable to have a doula (hospital policy, financial restrictions, etc.), DON'T WORRY! This doesn't mean you can't still have an incredible, empowered birth. I know I did!

With the right preparation and mindset, you can do it all on your own (and with a little help from a support person, if you have one). To learn more and prepare for your empowered birth, register for Sabiduría's childbirth education class today! www.sabia-mujer.com

✨Sabiduría: to promote knowledge about women and motherhood

During pregnancy, birth and postpartum women are often faced with situations where a procedure is going to be done or an intervention will take place. While these may be presented as what will happen, the truth is that often times it is just one option for what can happen.

Providers may have different priorities than their patient, but it is both your right and your responsibility to advocate for yourself and your baby. With the very rare exception of a true emergency, there is time to take a minute and evaluate your options, discuss them with your partner and your provider, and then make a decision.

Using the B.R.A.I.N. tree can help you ask the right questions and make an informed decision.

To learn more about what these questions mean and how to work with your provider, join one of Sabiduría's childbirth education classes: www.sabia-mujer.com

✨Sabiduría: to promote knowledge about women and motherhood

Breastfeeding can be hard! I know from experience. But, breastfeeding doesn't HAVE to be hard. With the proper knowledge, preparation and support, breastfeeding can be a beautiful time to share with your baby.

With my first son, I was a new mom and didn't have any professional breastfeeding support. I had a lot of pain, clogged ducts, and issues throughout our 13-month journey.

When my second son was born, I was on my way to being a trained lactation counselor, had a lot more knowledge (and experience), but I was still nervous because of the difficulties I had the first time around. This time, however, was completely different! I had ZERO pain or clogged ducts during the entire 16-month journey.

It is amazing how empowering education can be. This is one of the leading motivations for my becoming a trained lactation counselor and certified childbirth educator. I want other moms to have the support, knowledge and confidence that I lacked with my first son because I know just how hard breastfeeding can be, but also just how amazing.

I recommend more than anything that all pregnant women take a breastfeeding preparation class. Having knowledge BEFORE baby is born can make a world of difference. Starting the breastfeeding journey on a positive note can set the tone for the entire duration, and you should feel confident in what you are doing.

For more information about my breastfeeding classes and lactation counseling services, visit: www.sabiamujer.com

✨Sabiduría: to promote knowledge about women and motherhood

I prefer to use the term "birth preferences" over "birth plan." A plan implies something that we have control over, and birth usually does not follow a written "plan."

By avoiding this phrase, it helps women reflect more positively on their birth experience and not feel like they failed if things don't go according to the "plan." A positive reflection on birth not only is empowering, but can also decrease the risk of postpartum trauma and depression, so we should always strive to set women up for success and avoid anything that can be seen as a failure.

That said, all women should be aware of and express their preferences for labor, delivery and the postpartum period! You have the right to advocate for how you would like things to go whenever they are possible and safe.

Your preferences should be shared with your care provider during pregnancy and it is best to bring written copies with you to your birthing location to share with all staff who will be caring for you there.

For more information on how to write and share your birth preferences, contact me at: www.sabiamujer.com

✨Sabiduría: to promote knowledge of women and motherhood

Babies have an amazing ability to learn a language and it is believed that this begins while still in utero. It has been shown that babies upon birth are comforted by their mother's voice, recognize a song that has been sung to them throughout pregnancy, and react more positively to their mother tongue than a foreign language.

This listening and learning continues at an incredible rate during the first few years of life. The best way to encourage their language development is by interacting, including them in all of your daily activities, conversing, reading and singing with your baby.

Exposing baby to a large vocabulary, even from the newborn stage, promotes their language development when they are older. Tell them about everything you are doing, strengthen that bond you have with baby, and promote their language development all at the same time.

✨Sabiduría: to promote knowledge of women and motherhood

For more, visit: www.sabiamujer.com

Education is powerful. The more you know about your body during the journey of pregnancy, childbirth and beyond, the more confident and empowered you will feel.

Wherever you are in your journey to motherhood, join one of Sabiduría's classes to learn more about changes in your body and how you can work with your body during the process.

✨Sabiduría: to promote knowledge about women and motherhood

Learn more about the available classes: www.sabiamujer.com

Having a newborn is not easy, whether it is your first or your fourth child! We all want to support the new mothers in our lives, but right now it is made even more difficult given COVID and wanting to protect the newborn and respect the distancing for everyone's safety and wellbeing.

Just because we cannot physically be with the new mothers in our lives, does not mean we can't support them!

Here are some ideas for supporting new moms from afar:
- Create or contribute to a meal train
- Send a care package for mom: tea, easy to eat snacks, calming lotions, etc. can all make great gifts
- Check in: Just because you cannot visit mom, doesn't mean she won't appreciate a message to ask how she is doing.
- Continue to check in! While we don't want to overwhelm mom with messages or calls, the postpartum period lasts for a long time, so don't forget to continue to check-in, even after the immediate congratulations of welcoming the baby have passed.

While the postpartum period can be isolating in the best of times, it is even more important now that we regularly check on the new moms in our lives and make sure they feel the love and support they deserve!

How else have you supported a new mom in your life from afar? Share your ideas! 👇

✨Sabiduría: to promote knowledge about women and motherhood
www.sabiamujer.com