Mama Glow

Mama Glow - National Breastfeeding Awareness Month - Tenderness. What do you remember about your first moments feeding your infant? How did it feel to latch your little one? Who was there to witness? Did you feel supported? Were you encouraged to nurse your baby? Did you experience difficulty? Did you have breastfeeding/chest feeding/ body feeding role models?
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What is your breastfeeding story? What do you know about how you were fed as a baby? Were you breastfed, if so, for how long? How does your mother or family speak about the experience of feeding you? Was there generational support in breastfeeding? If you didn’t grow up with a mother or your biological one, who was it that held you and fed you and imprinted you with a sense of safety? Who gave you that primal love?
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We know that breastfeeding provides more than just milk, it’s liquid love, the closeness facilitates bonding and it provides protection as well as nutrition. Breastfeeding and our feeding stories are part of who we are. Sharing your story in a safe space can facilitate healing for those who have had challenges with nursing, sharing your triumphant stories can provide inspiration for those who are new along the path of breastfeeding. Asking about how you were fed can give you insight and inspiration to adopt some of the ways or change the course going forward.
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What do you have to share? Share below or grab your journal to answer the prompts above.

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Mama Glow- POSTPARTUM C-SECTION RECOVERY
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Pain at the incision site can be especially sharp when coughing or laughing, or when using the abdominal muscles to sit or stand. Partners or support people can help by taking over diaper changing for the first few weeks & by helping you sit up in the middle of the night to nurse & arranging pillows for you to help elevate the baby to breast level. Pillows placed on the lower abdomen can also help ease pain in the incision site. A breastfeeding support pillow can help.
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After a c-section there is an increased chance for possible infection. Depending on the level of your discomfort, the doctor might prescribe a pain reliever or advise you to take an OTC pain medication such as ibuprofen(Advil, Motrin) or acetaminophen (Tylenol). In addition to pain medicine, you can use a light heating pad to relieve discomfort at the surgical site. They will remove the stitches or clips after about 5 days, unless there are dissolvable stitches.
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Once the dressing has been removed, clean & dry the wound carefully & gently every day. It may be more comfortable to wear cotton high-waisted pants & loose fitting clothes.
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People who deliver via c-section are 4x more likely to develop a blood clot than those who deliver vaginally. You may have been given a supply of a blood-thinning drug to reduce risk of blood clots. If so, they will show you how to inject yourself. You may want to designate someone to help with the injections as it can cause anxiety for some. The partner or family members can help too. You’ll need to be available to inject at the same time each day. You might have the injections once a day for a week after the c-section. If there is a higher risk of forming blood clots, some moms may have the injections for up to 6 weeks.
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Getting in & out of bed can be difficult or uncomfortable while recovering from the c-section. It’s easier to get out of bed by rolling on to your side, dropping both legs over the side of the bed & then pushing up sideways. Try to stand up as straight as possible & walk to relieve the gas. A postpartum Doula can be helpful during this time.
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Mama Glow - Understanding Endometriosis: Black Women and the Hidden Struggle

Affecting up to 10% of women between the ages of 15 and 44, endometriosis is a significant yet often misunderstood health issue. It is a painful condition that results from tissues similar to the lining of the uterus growing outside of the uterus.

Despite the prevalence of the condition, awareness and education about endometriosis are lacking. This scarcity is more pronounced when it comes to the unique impacts on Black women. This article will delve into the symptoms, racial disparities in diagnosis and treatment, the role of advocacy and awareness, and the need for inclusive research to address the unique challenges faced by Black women with endometriosis.

What Causes Endometriosis?
The exact cause of endometriosis is unknown, but it is characterized by tissue that behaves like the uterine lining, which swells and bleeds during menstrual periods. Unable to exit the body, the swelling and bleeding causes immense pain in affected areas. Because of its unique manifestation, endometriosis can have significant social, public health, and economic implications. Many women with endometriosis experience a decreased quality of life due to severe pain, fatigue, depression, anxiety, and even infertility. For some the pain can be so debilitating that it prevents them from going to work or school, impacting their daily lives and productivity.

Despite endometriosis affecting approximately 10% of women worldwide, Black women are significantly less likely to be diagnosed with the condition compared to their white counterparts. Research shows that Black women are 49% less likely to receive an endometriosis diagnosis compared to white women. This disparity exists despite Black women experiencing symptoms of endometriosis at similar or higher rates.

Several factors contribute to the underdiagnosis of endometriosis in Black women. Historical biases and stereotypes within the medical community have long perpetuated the myth that endometriosis is less common in Black women.

Read more at www.mamaglow.com

Mama Glow - PCOS
No, Having PCOS Does Not Mean You Can’t Get Pregnant

Polycystic o***y syndrome (PCOS) is a common reproductive disorder among women that can hinder pregnancy. If you are ready to add a new member to your family but are worried you can’t, learning about this condition will help you understand what you can do to conceive successfully.

What Is PCOS?
PCOS is a condition where your ovaries produce higher-than-normal androgen levels, causing an imbalance in your reproductive hormones. Its common symptoms are irregular periods, missed menstrual cycles and unpredictable ovulation.

Untreated PCOS can impede pregnancy. In the United States, as high as 5%-10% of women of childbearing age, or about 5 million, don’t know they have it until they get checked after several conception failures. Unfortunately, some cases of PCOS don’t manifest any symptoms or are too minor to become noticeable, leading many to assume they aren’t affected by it.

Doctors diagnose PCOS through blood tests, physical exams and pelvic ultrasounds, determining your overall risk.

Learn more about how to get pregnant while living with PCOS at www.mamaglow.com

wellbeing

Mama Glow - Water is sacred. It’s holy. Water is our first home, the womb is the first environment. And we are housed in amniotic waters until we emerge earthside at birth. Water is nutritive. It is safety. It is life. We are at home when we pass from one body of water in to the next. We are at home when return to the water. Born in the water.

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Mama Glow - SKIN-TO-SKIN CONTACT
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There are so many Benefits for Baby: Skin to skin advances brain development. It’s a multi-sensory experience, increases the development of essential neural pathways, which accelerates brain maturation. It also helps to calm, soothe and reduce stress and increases oxytocin production which creates a sense of well-being, warmth and bonding.

Skin-to-skin helps to improve the quality of sleep.
Development of mature brain function in infants depends on the quality of their sleep cycling. During skin to skin, most infants fall asleep easily and sleep for longer stretches.

Baby’s immune system is stimulated when placed skin to skin. This hydrates the baby’s skin and provides a barrier of protection, so skin-to-skin can boost the immune system. After just one hour of skin to skin, the infant’s digestive system is restored to the right balance for optimal GI function. Dads and partners can be skin-to-skin to bottle feed, or use a nursing supplement to nourish the baby.

The baby’s body learns to self-regulate, resulting in a regular and stable heartbeat and breathing pattern after spending time skin-to-skin. Regulation of body temperature is not possible through skin-to-skin with dads, this is something that only the mother or birthing person can offer. That’s right- yet another reason that breasts are amazing! The birthing person’s breast/chest tissue regulates a baby’s temperature, and can either cool or heat. A male’s partner’s breast/chest tissue can only heat a baby they should only hold the baby skin-to-skin for an hour at a time.
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🙌🏾 APPLY NOW - FIRST FOODS JUSTICE -BREASTFEEDING CERTIFICATION PROGRAM FOR DOULAS

APPLICATIONS FOR SUMMER 2024 COHORT NOW OPEN
Application Deadline - 6/17/24

The Mama Glow Foundation is a 501c3 non profit committed to advancing reproductive justice and birth equity through education, advocacy, and the arts.

Happy Summer! We are thrilled to announce the Mama Glow Foundation FIRST FOODS JUSTICE: BREASTFEEDING CERTIFICATION PROGRAM FOR DOULAS - Nourishing Our Babies to Nurture Ourselves course is back for the summer! Our inaugural Spring session took place in April and was incredible. 🙌🏾

Applications are now open for the inaugural summer cohort for our FIRST FOODS JUSTICE PROGRAM centered on reclaiming breastfeeding education and bringing lactation support to communities most impacted by low breastfeeding rates. The design of this course centers the safety and support of Black and Brown mothers, birthing people, and families as they navigate the unique challenges and joys of breastfeeding/chestfeeding.

The virtual course approaches the topic of breastfeeding from the framework of first food justice—the notion that all infants should have the right to access the best nutrition, and caregivers their right to provide it.

This course is a moment for restorative justice and healing and will provide professional lactation education to birth workers belonging to communities facing health inequity, to equip them with skills that they can bring back to their community spaces to be of service.

This program is grounded in a deep commitment to community and an investment in the Mama Glow workforce of doulas, nurses and community care workers. It is our hope that with this education comes great validation and healing. ❤️

Learn more and APPLY - www.mamaglowfoundation.org

Mama Glow - Tenderness. What do you remember about your first moments feeding your infant? How did it feel to latch your little one? Who was there to witness? Did you feel supported? Were you encouraged to nurse your baby? Did you experience difficulty? Did you have breastfeeding/chest feeding/ body feeding role models?
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What is your breastfeeding story? What do you know about how you were fed as a baby? Were you breastfed, if so, for how long? How does your mother or family speak about the experience of feeding you? Was there generational support in breastfeeding? If you didn’t grow up with a mother or your biological one, who was it that held you and fed you and imprinted you with a sense of safety? Who gave you that primal love?
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We know that breastfeeding provides more than just milk, it’s liquid love, the closeness facilitates bonding and it provides protection as well as nutrition. Breastfeeding and our feeding stories are part of who we are. Sharing your story in a safe space can facilitate healing for those who have had challenges with nursing, sharing your triumphant stories can provide inspiration for those who are new along the path of breastfeeding. Asking about how you were fed can give you insight and inspiration to adopt some of the ways or change the course going forward.
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What do you have to share? Share below or grab your journal to answer the prompts above.

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Mama Glow - VBAC
A vaginal birth after cesarean section (VBAC) is when a pregnancy ends in vaginal birth after a previous cesarean section. VBACs can have benefits, such as a shorter recovery time and avoiding surgery. Those who attempt VBACs have a 60-80% success rate.

6 Considerations for VBACs

Feasibility: VBAC is a safe option for many who have had a previous cesarean birth, but not all women are candidates. Factors like the reason for the previous cesarean, the type of uterine incision, and current pregnancy conditions play a role.

Careful Monitoring: During a VBAC, careful monitoring is essential to promptly address any complications that may arise.

Hospital Policies: It’s important to understand the policies of the hospital or birthing center where the VBAC will take place, as not all facilities are equipped or willing to support VBAC deliveries.

Supportive Healthcare Provider: Having a healthcare provider who is supportive of VBAC and experienced in managing them increases the likelihood of a successful outcome.

Preparation: Proper preparation, including education about the process, potential risks, and coping strategies during labor, can help increase the chances of a successful VBAC.

Emergency Preparedness: While rare, emergencies can occur during VBAC attempts. Understanding the signs of complications and having a plan in place for emergency care is essential.

Personal Choice: Ultimately, the decision to attempt a VBAC should be based on a thorough discussion between you and your healthcare provider, taking into account your medical history, current pregnancy status, and personal preferences.

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Mama Glow - Pride 🌈 Rainbow Families: Navigating the Landscape of LGBTQ+ Parentage

The landscape of LGBTQ+ family building is constantly evolving. While significant strides have been made in recent years, the legal and social realities families face still vary greatly depending on their family structure and where they are located. There is no one-size-fits-all guide to building a family for same-s*x couples and individuals in 2024.

State-by-State Variations: A Legal Maze
The legal landscape surrounding LGBTQ+ parentage is far from consistent. Across the United States, parental rights laws vary wildly, due in part to the following factors:

* Lack of Federal Legislation: There are no comprehensive federal laws explicitly addressing LGBTQ+ parentage rights. This leaves it up to individual states to determine their own laws and policies.

* Differing State Laws: Some states have passed legislation that explicitly recognizes and protects LGBTQ+ parental rights, including marriage equality, adoption rights, and parental presumptions for children born through assisted reproduction. Other states might have more restrictive laws or even outright discriminatory policies.

* Judicial Interpretation: Court decisions also play a role in shaping the legal landscape. While the Supreme Court’s ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges legalized same-s*x marriage nationwide, it did not fully address all parental rights issues, leaving room for interpretation at the state level.

* Social and Political Factors: Public opinion and political ideologies vary widely across the country, influencing the types of laws that are passed and how they are enforced. States with more conservative populations or legislatures may be less likely to recognize LGBTQ+ parental rights compared to more progressive states.

* Religious Influences: Religious beliefs can also play a role in shaping attitudes and laws regarding LGBTQ+ families. Some religious groups still oppose same-s*x marriage and parenting, which can influence political and legal decisions in certain states

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Mama Glow - PARTNER SUPPORT during labor can be so life changing. When there is a partner present who is participating at their level of comfort & empowered with tools to help you, it can help you feel more at ease & increase your comfort & pain/sensation threshold. Partners can help you stay calm & connected to the birth trance.
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Closeness & the scent of the partner promotes a primal sense of safety & boosts production of many birth hormone helpers- but we will focus on OXYTOCIN & BETA-ENDORPHIN.
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The birth hormone is oxytocin, love hormone, secreted during s*xual activity, male & female or**sm, birth, & breastfeeding. Oxytocin engenders feelings of love. It’s made in the hypothalamus, the “master gland” deep in our brains, & stored in the posterior pituitary, from where it is released in pulses. It is a crucial hormone in reproduction & mediates what have been called the ejection reflexes: the s***m ejection reflex with male or**sm & s***m introjection reflex with female or**sm; the “fetal ejection reflex” at birth- the powerful contractions at the end of an undisturbed labor, the postpartum placental ejection reflex & the milk ejection, or let-down reflex, in breastfeeding.
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Half-life of oxytocin is 30 minutes, but in labor 3 minutes.
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Maternal oxytocin crosses the placenta into baby’s brain during labor
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Neuro-protective effect for baby- slow down the baby’s brain
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Peaks at 30 minutes after birth – helps stop postpartum bleeding

BETA ENDORPHIN
The hormones of pleasure & endurance. A naturally occurring op**te, beta-endorphin has properties similar to Demerol, morphine, & he**in, & has been shown to work on the same receptors of the brain.
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Like oxytocin, beta-endorphin is secreted from the pituitary gland, & high levels are present during s*x, pregnancy, birth, & breastfeeding.
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There is more Beta Endorphin in colostrum of birthing people who have vaginal birth
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If there is no partner present, a birth doula can be a valuable addition to the birth team in providing the emotional support, psychological, physical, educational support & advocacy that is so necessary for birth clients.
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Mama Glow - Breastmilk is one of the most ALKALINE foods on the planet; it’s a complete and perfect food. I could just stop right there... but there’s more! What we eat directly impacts and informs our milk; so do our thoughts and feelings. If we’re stressed out or upset, we send catecholamines (stress hormones) into the bloodstream, which can impact milk production and overall supply. And can effect the baby who is deeply dependent upon your limbic and immune systems. The connection is unimaginably delicate. Remember to take deep breaths, calm, center yourself whenever possible.
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It helps to take the time to make ourselves comfortable and relax into feeding. Try to set aside a space for your feeding ritual in the early days so you are at ease; this can be precious bonding time with your baby. When your baby is resting make sure you get your rest, stay well hydrated, and eat foods that fortify you and your milk, like high quality fats, almonds, walnuts, avocado, and whole grains, for example.
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Keeping your baby skin-to-skin will regulate baby’s temperature, heart, and breathing rates. Blood sugar will be more elevated. We now know that this is true not only for the baby born at term and in good health, but even for the one born prematurely. Skin-to-skin contact can contribute much to the care of the premature baby. Even babies on oxygen can be cared for skin-to-skin, and this helps reduce their need for oxygen. It keeps them more stable in other ways as well.
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From the point of view of breastfeeding, babies who are kept skin-to-skin with the birthing person immediately after birth for at least the first hour of life are likely to latch with more ease. Every baby is different and your child will have their own unique needs, patterns and feeding style.
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Involve your family in feeding.
We honor every choice for feeding that supports your growing baby, knowing that breastfeeding is not always possible or accessible for everyone.
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How’s feeding going for you?? Where are you along the feeding journey?
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Mama Glow- Welcome Earthside. Moonshine glistening. Marked by the color of love. In transit from heavenly celestial realms. Emerging from the sacred passageway into a rosy glow. Welcome... Birth. Is. Divine.
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The word ritual comes from “rtu”, Sanskrit for “menses.” Some of the earliest rituals practiced ancestrally were connected to the menstrual cycle. The blood from the womb was believed to be magical and sacred. The body releases the blood from the womb at birth. Blood is life. Birth. Is. Ritual. Birth is divine.
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Mama Glow - We. Give. Life.

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Mama Glow - Birthing Black Futures…. Investing in safe, dignified, affordable, equitable, health care with midwives. Birthing at home with body sovereignty. Birthing with family into community. Inviting your children into the birth space be present for their sibling’s arrival. Having all of your needs met. Feeling empowered and deeply loved. This birthing bliss is for all of us to reclaim.

Giving thanks to our courageous care providers who make home birth possible- our midwives - who walk in the footsteps of the ancestors and usher our babies earthside.

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Midwife

Mama Glow - THETA BRAIN WAVES ~ Altered states of consciousness arise when you are in a dream, state of bliss, daydream, trance state, meditation, arousal, or labor. Yes, when you are giving birth. Western medicine thankfully can measure these altered states by measuring our brain waves via EEG. The brain waves allow us to understand our states of consciousness—giving value to an experience that is otherwise hard to measure. If you’re driving a car with standard transmission you move between gears to alter your speed, right? Your brain-wave states function in a similar way.
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We progress from Beta, to Alpha, to Theta then Delta.
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Theta Waves: happen when there is no thinking—it’s all about feeling. You drop right into the primal space and your ancestral wisdom of birth kicks in. This is where many birthing people experience what’s called a “primal birth.” This is also the brain wave you’re riding when you cross the threshold of high-level arousal into climax (and multiple or**sm). When we get pulled into the vortex of our primal power, the labor takes over. The theta state coincides with mid-level to high-level arousal, or 6-10 centimeters dilation in moving from active labor into transition.
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This is where birthing people have potent visions, dreams and REM sleep between the powerful rhythmic waves of sensation moving through their bodies. This is a trance state. People have limited capacity for language in this state because the neocortex is essentially shut off. The birthing person intuits the movements, sounds, positions, necessary to most easily move through the process and birth their babies.
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There are major hormonal systems at work to facilitate labor and they are activated at their peak when we feel safe and have surrendered in an altered state of consciousness. Fear, anxiety and tension are the antagonists to the birth trance. And our modern obstetric model makes it challenging for us to birth in this state. Many of us never get the chance to feel this safety in birth.
Xo
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BIRTH WORKER BURNOUT: Exploring Integrative Approaches to Nurturing a Healthy Doula Workforce
NEW BRIEF from the

With a nationwide imperative to expand the doula workforce, there is abundant discussion about reimbursement, increasing access to education, & deploying programs to ensure more birthing people have access to doula support. Doulas are taking care of individuals & families when they are most vulnerable, but who is taking care of the doulas? 

Mama Glow Foundation research team applied the incredible insights collected from the Mama Glow doula community to present on Birth Worker Burnout & possible solutions to address the structural barriers that exacerbate poor working conditions for the doula community & birth workers everywhere.

WHY BIRTH WORKER BURNOUT MATTERS
Our health & wellbeing as a community depends on the health & well-being of our care workers. While the growing recognition of our nation’s necessity for doulas calls for birth workers who stay for the long haul, the issue of burnout threatens to turn doulas away from their highly essential work prematurely.  Much like doulas take care of birthing people & families during their most vulnerable times, our systems & structures must routinely nurture our doulas to lower the rates of burnout. The Mama Glow Foundation is spearheading this work by exploring the factors that contribute to birth worker burnout and proposing solutions for supporting & maintaining a healthy doula workforce.

The brief identifies structural & institutional shortcomings contributing to burnout in the Practicing Doula Experiences Survey, where doulas attribute the high rates of burnout to six main factors: 1) the emphasis on Medicaid reimbursement & the associated administrative burdens, 2) the high level of need & demand among clients, 3) the low compensation, which does not account for the demands of the job or the cost of living, 4) the lack of funding for community-based programs and services, 5) the unrealistic expectations outlined by institutions, and 6) negative experiences with discriminatory treatment & racism within institutions.

DOWNLOAD - mamaglowfoundation.org

Mama Glow - TANDEM NURSING 🙌🏾
Some of us may want to continue nursing our toddlers when pregnant and when the new baby arrives but believe they won’t be able to produce milk for the new baby.
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It’s perfectly safe to continue nursing while pregnant. It’s important to stay well hydrated and eat well to manage the demands of pregnancy on the body. When pregnant you may have breast tenderness when nursing so setting limits with your toddler may be an option. There are a plethora of nutrients your toddler receives while nursing, the composition of your milk will adjust as your toddler grows.

Breastfeeding does stimulate uterine contractions so if you’ve had previous miscarriages it’s important to be mindful of how your body is responding to the frequency you’re nursing.
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Breastfeeding provides comfort, nutrition, normal development of the immune system, as well as social and intellectual development, and breastfed toddlers may be less likely to be picky eaters because of the ever-changing flavor of your milk.

When your new baby arrives and your uterus expels the placenta, your body will reset to produce colostrum. The newborn should feed first and on-demand to maximize the consumption of the nutrient-dense, immune-factor-full colostrum. Your toddler will also benefit from colostrum but may have looser stools for a day or two until the milk comes in.

Your milk supply will adjust to serve your children’s needs. Breastfeeding for your toddler is about more than sustenance, it’s about bonding, a sense of security & belonging, especially since you will be spending so much time taking care of a new baby. If your toddler is weaned already, you may even find that they take interest in nursing again once the new baby arrives. Keep it up for as long as you and your little ones want to go.
Xo
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Mama Glow - VERNIX - Vernix caseosa is a waxy, Shea butter textured, whiteish creamy substance found coating the skin of newborn human babies. It is produced by dedicated cells and plays a protective role during fetal development and post birth. Vernix coating the skin protects the newborn skin and facilitates extra-uterine adaptation of skin in the first postnatal week if not washed away after birth.
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Newborn babies are not dirty, they do not need to be washed clean. Vernix consists of water-containing corneocytes embedded in a lipid matrix which protects the epidermis.
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The strategic location of the vernix on the fetal skin surface suggests participation in multiple overlapping functions required at birth, such as barrier to water loss, temperature regulation, and innate immunity. It’s oily consistency makes it a great natural lubricant that helps your baby to descend without friction through the sacred passageway to be born.
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It might be helpful in getting babies to latch for breastfeeding too. The scent of vernix is involved in triggering neural connections in the baby’s brain needed for breastfeeding. Vernix seems to perform various integral roles during transition of the fetus from intra-uterine to extra-uterine life.

Vernix also contains compounds believed to promote perineal wound healing, so it may assist in recovery for vaginal births.
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Vernix can be massaged into the baby’s skin and provides immune factor for the newborn adjusting to life outside the womb. The World Health Organization recommends leaving the vernix for at least 6 hours. Some babies are born with a lot of it and others less so. We like to call it, Birthday frosting.
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