By Carol Gray, LMT, CST, RPYT, ERYT-200 This is part five of a six-part series. In part one, My Baby Dropped!, I explain why engagement is pathology. In part two, Why Did My Baby Get Stuck?, I explore the maternal factors that cause babies to get stuck. Part three is called Fetal Factors: How Babies Get Themselves Stuck. Last week I wrote Fetal Constraint: How Culture Immobilizes Babies. Today’s post
Fetal Factors: How Babies Get Themselves Stuck
July 13, 2021
By Carol Gray, LMT, CST, RPYT, ERYT-200 There are many things that contribute to fetal constraint (stuck babies). Any one of them can operate independently, but usually there are multiple causes that have synergistic or additive effects. As I continue to explore the multiple causes, I will provide examples of how these things can work in concert to prevent babies from moving into more ideal positions for their continued gestation,
My Baby Dropped!
June 29, 2021
By Carol Gray, LMT, CST, RPYT, ERYT-200 “My baby dropped!!” People usually say this with great enthusiasm when it happens. I’ve never really understood why people rejoice about their babies dropping. Why Do They Think This Is So Cool? Do they think that this is proof they won’t be pregnant until the end of time after all? Do they think that their labors will be shorter because the baby is
Flat Spots
June 22, 2021
By Carol Gray, LMT, CST, RPYT, ERYT-200 I see lots of babies who have flat spots on their heads (plagiocephaly) in my Craniosacral Therapy practice. Container-Baby Culture and Flat Heads The most common garden variety is the broad flat spot on the back of the head – an artifact of the Back to Sleep Program, swaddling for sleep and time spent in car seats, baby seats and swings that have
Feeding The New Family
February 23, 2021
By Guest Blogger, Kimberly Bepler, IBCLC, CPD, CLE, CNPE Who has time to make nutritious food when you have a precious new baby? Real food takes time to prepare. Newborn families have little time to spare. As a postpartum doula I love creating food for hungry and tired parents. Over the years, I’ve developed a few winning approaches to help the families I serve get nourishing food into their bellies.
Interview With Carol Gray
February 9, 2021
We hope you enjoy this interview with Carol Gray on Born to Be Breastfed. It’s about Craniosacral Therapy and breastfeeding. Carol has dedicated her professional life to supporting expectant and new families by promoting gentle aware birth. She has attended births for over 35 years – at first as a doula and from 2000 to 2012 as a midwife. She has since retired from attending births in order to focus
Your Village Built By You
January 12, 2021
By Guest Blogger, Olivia Spitzer We have all heard the adage, “It takes a village to raise a child.” As new parents, a big piece of your work is identifying who will be included in your child’s village. During (and even before) pregnancy, you are already thinking about which grandparents will be available to you for support. You know which friends will serve as aunties or uncles. You find a
This Can’t Be Normal (but it is)
December 29, 2020
By Guest Blogger, Caitlyn Martin You’ve wanted this baby so badly… You (or your partner) carried them for the better part of the year, through the ups and downs of pregnancy, and now you get to hold them in your arms. All the love you have been storing in your heart is spilling out into this sweet bundle of joy and you can’t believe you get to keep them with
10 Things You May Not Know About Home Birth
December 8, 2020
By Guest Blogger, Dr. Lisa Jewell, DC YOU’RE PLANNING A HOME BIRTH?! People’s reaction when I told them I was planning a home birth was always the same, “You’re choosing to give birth with no drugs?! Aren’t you afraid?!” and now when I share my birth story it’s, “Wow, good for you. I could never do that!” or even the occasional, “Are you crazy?! Didn’t that hurt?!” The answers to
Postpartum Doulas Fill the Healthcare Gap During COVID and Beyond
December 1, 2020
By Guest Blogger, Marnellie Bishop The arrival of a global pandemic on America’s shores has quickly and glaringly brought to light the dangers of the US healthcare system. The COVID-19 crisis made it painfully clear that our medical institutions are failing a significant portion of our citizens. Sadly, postpartum doulas have known this for a long time. Fortunately, these newborn specialists are ready and able to support the whole family
