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On George Floyd, and the word “Mama”:

What does it mean that his last words were to call out for his mother?

It means that he was desperate, that he needed her; this is what many of us do with our last breaths, whether we’re soldiers in a civil war, or cancer patients in a hospice. We call for our mothers, who stand for love and care, who stand (emotionally, if not in fact) between us and harm.

It means that THIS WAS SOMEONE'S CHILD. You’ve heard this phrase before; it’s the magic algorithm we use to remind ourselves of another's humanity. Maybe you’re walking by a homeless person and you’re tired and preoccupied and texting, but you tell yourself: wait, remember, this is someone’s child. When you can’t find love in your heart, and this happens to all of us sometimes, because we’re afraid or sad or having a moment of indifference; all you have to do is remind yourself that this is someone’s child.

The parent-child bond is the evolutionary basis of love and compassion. The human impulse to care and protect started with mothers and their offspring, and over thousands of years of evolution, it radiated outward from there. It’s the force that stirs the hardest hearts, it’s what turns us all to quivering jelly, whether we admit it or not. Thousands of years of evolution have made us this way.

“I can’t breathe” has become a rallying cry; and it says it all -- or nearly all. “I can’t breathe” is the shocking brutality, “I can’t breathe” is the knee in the neck. It galvanizes; it will stir a generation to action.

But “Mama” says something else. “Mama” is love and compassion and yearning. “Mama” cuts through fears and biases, guilt and indifference. It softens. It unites.

We didn’t know George Floyd, and we didn’t know his Mama. But we know how he longed for her on Monday night; we’ll feel the same thing one day, whether we exit this world through illness or violence.

And we know how we’d feel if this had happened to our own son.

If George Floyd’s mother were still alive to hear them, no words would ease her pain. But we would try to speak them, anyway; we would do our best to tell her how sorry we are about her son.

My mother body is the one that has led to most freedom, the best s*x, and the most meaningful connection with myself and others. So grateful. Thank you for making this @allisonprinelmft!

It’s ok to be disappointed mama. To be angry. To ache for the birth you had envisioned. To grieve your dream that never came to be. All of your feelings are valid.
How you birth matters, and it’s ok if you’re not ok.
But as you’re grieving, perhaps you can also whisper words of love over your story.
While you mourn the birth you had dreamed of, perhaps you can take a breath to see the beauty in what was. What is.
Maybe in the corner of your heart, you can begin to make room for healing. For finding the beauty in your messy, raw, heart expanding journey.
Perhaps you can place a hand on that sensitive scar across your belly and thank your body for her courage. For opening as she did. For birthing your baby.
Perhaps you can take a quiet moment to acknowledge how brave you were. How you were willing to walk through that door and lay your life on that table to bring your baby earth side.
It’s ok if you’re filled with pain and rage and grief, but mama, please let the light begin to trickle in too. And maybe some day, you can look back on your story and feel nothing but love and pride and deep comfort in knowing that your birth was sacred too. Because, life is no less holy when it’s pulled from your womb and you are no less of a mother for birthing your babe through your belly.
*it’s also ok if you feel nothing but joy and celebration around your belly birth! This post was written for those who’ve reached out expressing pain around their csection experiences- not in judgement of anyone who chose a csection and rejoices in that experience.


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eat4body.com

So. Much. This. ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜

Just a little note 💖

In the middle of a pandemic, 'babies come in the same way they always have' As much of the rest of the country moved to isolate themselves and stay at home, these midwives checked in to work -- birth does not halt for pandemics.

No woman should have to birth alone, yet the right to have support during labor and birth by a partner or doula is being stripped away in hospitals due to COVID-19 precautions. As if facing COVID-19 and social distancing wasn’t enough to worry about, this is causing pregnant women incredible anxiety - and even despair - at a time when they should be able to prepare to welcome their baby.
While there is a lack of definitive evidence of increased infection risk from having a partner or doula present in labor or at birth, there is evidence of increased risk to the mother and baby from lack of adequate emotional, psychological, and physical support during labor, including longer and more painful labor, greater need for pain medication, interventions, and cesarean section. Further, lack of perinatal support is associated with greater risk of postpartum depression. These risks are further increased for people of color, who are already at higher risk of perinatal complications.

Today I am launching the campaign in order to raise awareness of a woman’s right to have support during her labor + birth experience and in turn, have hospitals recognize that labor and birth support is a proven, important factor in the health of mothers, babies, and thus, families.

Your help is really needed. If you can, I would love your support. Here's how:

1. Post a photo that depicts your birth journey (pregnant, in labor, birthing, you and your baby after birth, etc.) and explain in the caption why having support during your labor and delivery was so integral to your health.

2. Use the hashtag and tag me

3. If you’re feeling the birth activist spirit, contact the COO of your hospital, anyone you know in media, your mayor, your governor, your state senator, and ask your OB or midwife to advocate for you. Explain why birth support is so essential for your wellbeing, and the health of your baby and family.

And while it may feel like you’re alone right now, please know, you are not. Tomorrow, on my next Women’s Wellness Office Hours at 2 PM ET I’m going to share how I and other women are going to support you through this time.

Here we go...

Pregnant women are opting for home births as hospitals prepare for coronavirus As pregnant women across the country wrestle with anxieties about hospital deliveries during the pandemic, midwifery practices are reporting a significant uptick in requests for help with home births.

The Criminalization of the American Midwife New York midwife Elizabeth Catlin faces 95 individual felony counts at her upcoming trial. For what? For doing her job. Politics and patriarchy make the work of many credentialed, experienced midwi…

‘Your Wife is Not a Priority Right Now’: Man Sues Cedars-Sinai Hospital After His Wife Died During C-Section The birth of his second son in April 2016 was supposed to be the happiest day of Charles Johnson’s life. Instead, he suffered an unbelievable tragedy. His

Midwives and doulas aren’t a luxury. They’re a necessity. PERSPECTIVE | I was born into the hands of a midwife. It’s a tradition that shouldn’t fade away.

Have a cuppa and a serious read about why our maternity care system is in desperate need of reform.

On My Departure From Hospital-Based Birth: A Reflection Today is my final shift as an obstetrician. This journey began back in college, when medicine still had its idyllic pull. My wannabe doctor friends and I were d

Cool app endorsed by my niece, Terri Gresham-Simpson. 💕

Text Message Baby Journal Qeepsake texts you questions about your child. You text back your response, and an entry is added to your child's private journal. Add photos, print a book + more!

Incredible award-winning photos show the beauty and bravery of childbirth These winning birth photos prove just how amazing mums are.

Such an important perspective and one possible way to avoid internalizing birth trauma. ❤

Most people have hope's and goals for the kind of birth they want to have. But it's also valuable to expand that vision to include all of the possibilities for how it may unfold. This act of self compassion can allow you to find a way to cope and move through the unknowns of birth while still staying connected to your self worth.

In 2017, a group of scientists found that babies that experienced high contact/touch had specific epigenetic marks on DNA that played role in metabolism and the immune system when they were 4/5 years old. Humans are designed to be in skin to skin contact, not just in the first hour postpartum but throughout newborn life. Hugs your baby, hold your baby, kiss your baby, breast/chestfeed your baby. It literally changes things. Study here: https://buff.ly/2RLnIkm

It's been 19 years for me and I still recall all the details as though it happened recently. If you've lost a pregnancy, please know you're not alone and it's never been so long that you "should be over it" or feel as though your story of loss isn't valid.

Miscarriage Trauma Can Last Far Longer Than We Realized New research says many women struggle with depression, anxiety and PTSD months down the road.

Pope: Midwives might have the most noble of all professions Pope Francis on January 19 applauded the designation of 2020 as the “Year of the Nurse and the Midwife.” He suggested that “midwives carry out perhaps the noblest of the professio…

No, I'm Not "Fine." No Mother Is. | Filter Free Parents No, I'm Not "Fine." No Mother is. Why is, “I’m fine,” our go-to response when fine is rarely the truth? The emotions we deal with daily are overwhelming.

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If they're cranky, just add water 💦Quote: Chloe via

Every year, we stop to celebrate a birth. The birth of Jesus. And we do it in the most unusual ways - with ugly sweater parties, excessive consumption, frenzied shopping trips, and a long list of impossible expectations.

But when I think about the birth of Jesus, I’m reminded of all the hundreds of births I’ve documented.

I imagine Mary first noticing contractions. A dull cramping that came every 15 minutes or so. And then as the day or night progressed, they grew closer, stronger, until she could no longer pretend this wasn’t happening.

Was she alone? Did Joseph support her? Had she seen birth before? Did she know what to expect? Were they prepared with supplies? Was she worried about bleeding too much? Had she lost a mother, or a friend to childbirth? Did she feel alone?

So many questions, and yet we do know this. Mary did it. Mary birthed her baby into the world. And while I can’t confirm it, I’m confident that just like all births…there was fear, there was longing, there was doubt, there was despair…and then there was joy.

And so when I think of the nativity scene, there is so much about it that I want to change.

Instead of a clothed Mary and Joseph marveling at an angelic babe in makeshift manger…I see an unclothed Mary, with a squirmy baby pressed up against her breasts. I see vernix on her cheek and blood dripping down her leg. I see the ecstasy of birth - the joy that bursts forth after pain and fear and deep, deep longing. And I see Joseph taking it all in - amazed and perhaps startled by what he had just witnessed.

But still at the center of it all, is a naked woman, covered in blood and bodily fluids.

You see, we’ve sanitized the Christmas story to the point that it’s lost it’s power. Overtaken by capitalism and patriarchy, we’ve lost sight of the heart of this story.

The female body (with all it’s cycles and breasts and hormones and blood) grew, sustained, and birthed the divine. Oh holy night.

Midwifery is truly one of the oldest professions in the world. No establishment can change that or monopolize the title, especially when it was rightfully earned and conferred by one's community.

Georgia Midwife Sues for Right to Call Herself ‘Midwife’ A nationally prominent midwife is suing Georgia authorities, claiming they're engaged in regulatory overreach as they violate her ...

No.
..is a complete sentence.

Effects of Delayed Cord Clamping on 4-Month Ferritin Levels, Brain Myelin Content, and Neurodevelopment: A Randomized Controlled Trial To evaluate whether placental transfusion influences brain myelination at 4 months of age.