A Mother's Keeper

01/16/2023

When latching your baby, one of the most important things you can do to help get a better latch, is to support your baby's NECK, and not put any pressure on the back of their head. When you push on the back of the head, baby will tuck their chin to the chest, and it is really difficult to open your mouth and to swallow in this position. Adding pressure instead to the neck and upper back, allows your baby to extend their neck a little, bring their chin up, and open their mouth wide. This also brings their nose away from the breast tissue, and opens the airway nicely.

01/15/2023

01/08/2023

Every day, I get questions about dilation.⁠
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Things like, I'm 39 weeks and I am not dilated. Or I'm 36 weeks and dilated to 1.⁠
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Next is, when will I go into labor? HELP!⁠

👉🏻❤️ Did you know that we have a podcast? The Birth Experience with Labor Nurse Mama, is filled with info about pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. Make sure to click the link in bio to listen now, and don't forget to subscribe!👩‍⚕️ ⁣⁣⁠

So, here's the thing about dilation. It truly doesn't matter, until you are in labor. And even then, only 10 cms matter. Cause that's when the baby is coming. ⁠
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Now, does cervical dilation predict when spontaneous labor occurs?⁠
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That's a tough one, studies have shown that a mama who is 39 weeks + and is at least 1 cm were more likely to go into labor within a week.⁠
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Even though that feels nice to know (If you're one of the lucky ones) it doesn't really matter. ⁠
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According to ACOG: "The average length of pregnancy is 280 days, or 40 weeks, counted from the first day of your LMP. A pregnancy that lasts 41 weeks up to 42 weeks is called “late term.” A pregnancy that lasts longer than 42 weeks is called “post-term."⁠
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So that being said, whether or not you are dilated 1 cm at 39 weeks does not mean you will not dilate late. You most likely will.⁠
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I can promise one thing for certain:⁠
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You will not be pregnant forever!⁠
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What was your experience with dilation before you went into labor?⁠
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01/04/2023

Just a little picture of how things look when you’re carrying another human. ❤️

11/01/2022

How beautiful is this? 🥰

10/22/2022

Sometimes birth is about focus.
Sometimes birth is about letting go.

You can’t fight against contractions so embrace them with arms wide open.

Welcome labor and your baby in.

📸

10/17/2022

Dear newborn mother,
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Please know that this is what productivity looks like.
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It looks like feeding your baby on the couch for an hour, sometimes more.
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It looks like leaving a dent in the cushions when you leave, if you leave, but you don’t have to leave.
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It looks like being constantly relied
upon, and poo’d on and spewed on.
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It looks like burping them, and cleaning them. And then cleaning yourself, but only if you have time.
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It looks like ignoring the mess surrounding you and somehow making more. There’s always more.
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It looks like staring at them for the longest time so that you completely lose track of time.
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It looks like taking lots of photos and videos of them and then cringing at the sound of your own voice on playback.
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It looks like conversing in one-sided baby language and constantly thinking “there’s a smile” with only the slightest of mouth movements.
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It looks like stroking their hair, nuzzling them, and kissing their cheeks because you still can’t believe they’re real.
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It looks like asking your husband to bring you things. And not bring you things. And then him forgetting to bring you things.
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It looks like rocking them, hushing them, and singing to them. Or just anything that works really.
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It looks like letting them fall asleep on you and letting them stay asleep on you.
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It looks like putting them in their bassinet so you can sleep but staring at them again instead.
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It looks like you sleeping, eating and showering when you can. Or at least trying to anyway.
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It looks like doing what you need to survive the days and nights, the weeks and months.
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It looks like you and them, figuring it all out together, one day at a time.
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Productivity comes in many different forms and this is one of them. So if you have done nothing other than some of the above today, know that you have been productive.
Know that you are working hard.
Know that you are doing great things.
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You may not feel alive right now, but you are keeping someone else alive.
That’s productivity at it’s finest.
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Keep up the good work.
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Best (sleep) wishes,
Another newborn mother.
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📚 Words of Emma Heaphy
Art: O Trocatintas

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09/22/2022

✨ Newborn session sneak peek! ✨

This bub was my first little newborn photography client and he was an absolute doll. I’m looking to do a few more newborn sessions at a discounted rate while I am gaining experience modeling and photographing sweet babies.

Share with all those new parents to-be!