Category: maternal-child health
Discover the Best Childbirth Class in Birmingham:
If you’re pregnant and feeling stressed by all the advice and pressure to “do it right,” you’re not alone. Many expecting parents in Birmingham are searching for a childbirth class but aren’t sure which one is best for them. The Ready to Welcome childbirth and newborn class offers unbiased evidence-based, locally relevant information with a…
Doula Support for Single Moms: A Birth Story of Strength, Surrender, and Support
Client stories mini-series, Part 1 When you’re about to welcome your third baby—with toddler twins at home—and you’re doing it solo? That’s not just birth. That’s Olympic-level motherhood. 🥇💪 And it’s exactly the kind of moment where doula support for single moms can make all the difference. A Tender Season of Life I met Annamarie…
How to Recommend a Birth Provider Without Just Dropping a Name
When someone asks, “Who do you recommend for a doctor or hospital to give birth at?” it’s so tempting to immediately type the name of the provider who caught your baby or the hospital where you had a great experience. But here’s the thing: your recommendation is way more helpful when it comes with context.…
What Do You Really Need to Prepare for a Baby? (Part 2)
Previously, I posted about the top three things that a family with a newborn needs: strong support, food for the baby, and food for the grown-ups. Today, I want to complete my list of baby essentials, and you will see it is a lot simpler than many people imagine. I want to help you resist…
Finally, some political news we can all be happy about
With so much political division these days, it makes me very happy to be able to report on some good news that we should all be able to get behind. Yesterday, a bipartisan-supported bill, H.R. 4581, the “Maternal and Child Health Stillbirth Prevention Act of 2024,” was signed into law, which modifies the scope of…
Introducing Matushka Olga Michael
Yesterday, after my husband had finished sharing information about end-of-life doulas at a senior center wellness fair, we were enjoying a rare lunch together and my phone pinged with a text message from an old college friend: “OCA synod of bishops just announced approval for the glorification of Blessed Olga of Alaska!!!” While this message…
What Do You Really Need to Prepare for a Baby?
This weekend I got to participate in Birmingham’s Babypalooza Expo, including taking part in a doula panel with a wonderful team of doulas and providing some information about why and how a person might go about hiring a doula. Making the rounds at the exhibition was exhausting, with over 800 pregnant and new parents and…
New treatment for postpartum depression
There was big news coming out of the FDA yesterday. For the first time, the FDA approved a pill named Zuranolone ;to be prescribed specifically for the treatment of postpartum depression (PPD). Here are some important things to consider about this development. Overall, this seems to be really good news for 1 in 7 people…
Hospital Cesarean rates in Birmingham, AL
If your goal is to avoid an unnecessary Cesarean, your choice of hospital and provider can make a big difference. Use this infographic to help you make your decision.
My Secret Identity: Wonder Woman and The Public Health Doula Professor
Public health professor by day, doula by night (and sometimes also by day). A secret identity, or are these roles really working toward the same goal?
