The Birth Lounge Blog

Mucus Production & Pregnancy Doesn't sound awesome, but doesn't sound too bad, does it? You're probably thinking a runny nose and you're not too far off, but it can also look like ear infections and sinus infections. During pregnancy, your hormones rage (duh!), but the specific surges in estrogen does helpful things like increasing blood supply to your vaginal area and creating your mucus plug. Since you're pregnant, you can't take most medications. Even if you could, many people choose to limit medication consumption during pregnancy and nursing. So what are you to do? Just be a walking snot factory for 9+ months? No, not at all. Like everything else, you have some choice here on your approaches. Here are a few remedies to clear mucus : - Chiropractic care - Drinking lots of water - Adding electrolytes to your water - Eating garlic + onions - Cutting down (consider eliminating) dairy - Netti po...

Advocating for Yourself During Birth with HeHe Hey Tranquility Tribe! This week, HeHe told the story of Caroline Maletesta of Alabama, whose nurses aggressively prevented her from birthing how she needed to, leaving her traumatized and permanently injured. While situations like this are rare and unfortunate, it’s important to arm yourself with information and techniques to advocate for yourself in birthing situations extreme or small. Things to Know HeHe wants you to know that it’s rare to not be able to have a choice in almost all aspects of your maternity care! Outside of special situations like having a medical condition that requires certain stipulations, you truly are the person in charge in the labor and delivery room. That’s why it is so crucial to arm yourself with knowledge concerning evidence-based care regarding all sorts of situations that may arise during your birth, so you can walk away from your birth feeling confiden...

Morning Sickness or Hyperemesis? Morning Sickness: It is hormonally related and we believe that your blood sugars are spiking and dropping (trying to adjust to having a baby on board) during that first trimester. It generally resolves itself between 12-14 weeks of pregnancy! When you wake in the morning, you blood sugar is low because it has just worked through all the calories as you were sleeping. If you rise and do not eat, this will cause your blood sugar to sink even further and will cause even worse nausea. Once your blood sugar tanks, it can be challenging to hit reset and you may find that you don’t feel well for the rest of the day. Hyperemesis: This is extreme morning sickness that is debilitating and last longer than 12-14 weeks. This can be nausea that hangs around all day long and prevents you from doing normal everyday activities. Hyperemesis is very serious and requires medical attention. Miriam Erick, MD at Boston Medical Center, says Hyperemesis affec...

Eating for The Trimesters [This is also an episode of Friday Free Talk on The Tranquility Tribe Podcast on iTunes. Listen  here .] Hey Tranquility Tribe!  Do you ever feel crazily overwhelmed by all of the opinions that everyone seems to have about diet, workouts, and weight loss?  The world of weight and exercise can be filled with frustration and disappointment, especially in a time when newsfeeds are constantly flooded with images that only portray the most perfect sides of people’s lives.  Today, Hehe talks to Lainey Younkin, a dietician, about body positivity and what you should truly be focusing on before, during, and after pregnancy. Who is Lainey? Lainey Younkin, whose nickname is “the dietician who doesn’t put people on diets”, is a nutritionist in Boston who takes an honest and realistic approach to helping her clients live a healthy lifestyle.  Rather than putting clients on diets that often only yield the desired results in the sho...

Dressing Intentionally for Pregnancy and Beyond [This is also an episode of Friday Free Talk on The Tranquility Tribe Podcast on iTunes. Listen  here .] Hey there, Tranquility Tribe!  How much do you know about your style?  Do you have a go-to clothing color? Did you know that the colors you wear can say a lot about your personality?  In this episode, Hehe talks to Helena Grant, an entrepreneur and stylist expert, about the major impact that clothes have on your life! Who is Helena? Helena recently celebrated the three-year anniversary of her business, H Grant Style, with a style popup in Boston.  Hehe attended the event and said it was a huge success! However, as Helena expressed, she could not have done it on her own.  For the majority of her time building her business, Helena did everything herself. However, when she began to prepare for her anniversary event, she decided to ask for help with the planning.  And she said that she ...

Can You Fire Your Boss? I once worked for a boss that fired me for speaking up against workplace violence and emotional abuse happening. Could you imagine a boss that is coercive, manipulative, blatantly lies (to you and others), promises impossible things at the expense of others, belittles and berates you, has zero boundaries, and has a bad case of the God Complex? You'd want to fire this person, right? Now, imagine if this was your midwife or OBGYN. You'd definitely want to fire this person, right? You can't necessarily fire your boss at work, but if this is someone who is helping you have your baby, you can. You get to choose. You are in full control of who you allow in the room when your are laboring and birthing your child. Plot Twist: You're the Boss  In Doctor-Patient relationships, YOU are the boss. You call the shots because this is YOUR body. Now there are limits to this. You don't have the right to diagnose yourself and just hope your do...