The Birth Lounge Blog

Sex,  Menstruation , Re-evaluating Cultural Norms, and more with Rebecca Alvarez of The Bloomi (Part 2 of 2 of our interview derived from Podcast episode ) HeHe : So we talked a little bit about the stigmas and the shame about menstruation. Go into that a little bit more, like, just share your thoughts.   Rebecca : It makes me kind of upset to think that there's still such a huge portion of us that feel that sex is shameful or dirty. Or menstruating is shameful or dirty. I'm Mexican. Both of my parents immigrated here and I grew up with a lot of cultural norms that had to do with these topics where the idea of staying clean. Meaning when you're on your period, wash yourself really well using these very fragrant products. Those ideas were just part of my cultural norms, I'll say. And I think that's the case for a lot of women, especially women of color.  Then the idea that sex is more on the dirty side. A lot of like the douching practices that are still being used t

  Photo: Larry Crayton The American Maternal Mortality Crisis: The Hospital System is Killing our Black Birthers Despite Numerous Alarms being Sounded  If you are unaware of the huge racial disparities in our country when it comes to having a baby, then you’re not paying attention. These are not new stats, but they are on the rise. Which is surprising for a country of such stature, education, and resources. As a leader of the nations, you would expect that we could keep people alive when they go to have a baby—a very natural event. The most natural, no? Getting Back to the Basics Call me crazy, but if what we are doing isn’t working—would it be crazy to think we should pump the brakes and get back to the basics? What exactly do I mean by this? Well, should we start to have low-risk women seen by midwives? Should we stop allowing hospital-sponsored childbirth education? Should we ensure access to ALL pregnant humans? Should we make sure that doulas are considered essential to birth and

Sexual Wellness Products with Rebecca Alvarez (Part 1 of 2 of our interview derived from The Birth Lounge Podcast Episode 130 ) You GUYS. I am SO excited to bring this interview to life here on the blog. Did you know that 98% of all feminine care products has at least 1 toxic ingredient? That's scary! Rebecca Alvarez earned her BA in Women’s Health & Sexuality from UC Berkeley and her MA in Sexuality Studies from San Francisco State and is the founder of The Bloomi. She is joining me to dive deep into what’s wrong with traditional sexual wellness products, how to spot harmful ingredients and false labeling, and what you need to know about long term effects of these issues in sexual wellness and women’s health! So Let's have Rebecca introduce herself! Rebecca : I consider myself a sexual wellness expert. I'm also an entrepreneur and my passion is bringing clean intimate care products to women and femmes. I'm sure we'll talk about why that's important and wha

 Nubain: A Magic Pill? I think that a lot of times when people think about pain relief in labor, they think about unmedicated or they think about at the general use and it doesn't necessarily have to be one or the other. There's actually a spectrum of pain relief that you can choose from when it comes to your birth. So if you need to be induced for some reason- what the reason is may also play a role in what your options are for pain relief. These are all discussions that you'll have to have with your doctor, but you really need to be having those discussions if you don't know what your options are. You need to empower yourself going into your labor. So that is why I wanted to talk about Nubain and Staidol in labor. A lot of people, when they think about having a baby, the first thing they think about is the pain and what it is going to feel like to actually have a baby. While this is a valid thought and concern, it is not necessarily where you need to start. You nee

  Gifts for Every Badass Lady in Your Life Valentine's Day is such a commercialized holiday, I get it. Not everyone loves to recognize love, but… I’m not one of those people! I love V-day!  Sometimes in pregnancy, the spark can be lost or the intimacy is forgotten. Sometimes our gratitude for one another takes a back seat because of the overwhelming to-do list that comes along with having a baby. I challenge you to take this Valentine’s Day to recognize the love that it took to get this child here and remember the passion you have for your partner. If you’re expecting a baby, your life is about to change forever. In a really good way, but in a way that is going to test your relationship and you need compassionate understanding and love to help you through those seasons. If you are new parents, remember this is a season. It too shall pass and I promise it does. Everything is temporary in this stage-- the lack of sleep, the fussiness, the feeding challenges, the blowouts. It will eve