The Birth Lounge Blog

Tearing in Birth: What is the Norm? If there was ever one hill almost every doula would die on, it would almost certainly be that episiotomy and tearing are not by default, a normal part of birth. While episiotomy is blog for a different day, now is the perfect time to dive headfirst into perineal tears, labial lacerations, and everything in between. Let’s discuss why they occur, how to prevent them, how to know how severe they are, and how to heal them. When we think about tearing during childbirth, we often jump to thoughts of torn perineums, but the truth is that tears can affect almost every part of the vagina and vulva. Each tear comes with its own set of challenges, and some are more avoidable than others. However, no matter the location(s) of your tearing, healing will require care, delicacy, and kindness towards yourself. - Perineal Tearing : Tearing of the perineum is the most common and widely discussed area where tears take place. This is the tissue located between the vagin...

Consumer Complaints: Essential To New Wave Maternity Care What Is A Consumer Complaint? Certainly we’ve all received a long awaited package, torn it open out of excitement, and come face to face with disappointment. This product we purchased is not the product we were sold. When faced with this situation, a vast majority of us will go back onto the website we purchased the item from to leave a review explaining why the product does not live up to its advertised quality. We do this not only to let the company know we’re not happy with our service, but also to warn other consumers that this product isn’t worth their time, energy, and money. This is a normal part of life, right? An online consumer’s right of passage, if you will. What if I told you that you can do the same exact thing with Drs, Hospital Staff, and Nurses? What if I told you that doing so doesn’t just warn others that they shouldn’t waste their time and money? instead, it actually sends a clear warning that their body, bab...

Sleep Routines with Anna McMillian Sleep Routines vs. Sleep Training When we are talking about sleep routine vs. sleep training we are discussing totally different choices. You've got to look at the foundations because if you are going to sleep train and you don't have your foundations sorted- it's not going to work anyway. There are things that need to be in place regardless of how a child gets to sleep. So sleep training is looking at how the child is getting to sleep. This is what I need to go to bed. For an adult that might be like turning off the lights, locking the front door, brushing your teeth. When we look at a child's sleep routines and health what we're looking to do is actually set up healthy habits. If you think about the habits that are gonna last a lifetime, those are the things that we really want to concentrate on as a newborn. We're looking at how we are communicating with our baby? How are they communicating with us? They're actually t...

How an Active Pregnancy Fosters an Enjoyable Pregnancy As a physical therapist and mother of two, I am passionate about helping other women have an enjoyable pregnancy. As a society, we need to take better care of our mothers. We are the caregivers of the world and should be treated as such. Growing and birthing a human being is a freaking super power. I’m here to empower you to enjoy this monumental time in your life. Being pregnant is hard work. Pregnancy can be draining emotionally and physically. Our bodies are adapting to different hormones and a different weight distribution. Our sleeping patterns are changing and our stress levels may be rising. You might be taking care of other children or working outside the home. So, how do we get through nine months of growing a baby and a changing body while still feeling well mentally and physically? Pain and leakage--common but no longer the standard! Low back pain, pelvic pain, hip pain, and urinary incontinence are all common sympt...

The Issue with Hospital Provided Doulas You’re sitting at a friend's table. Your ever expanding belly is, of course, the topic of conversation. “I’m thinking about hiring a doula”, you tell your friend. In the background the sounds of her own children serve as an unending, but joyful soundtrack. “OH!” she replies, “The hospital you’re delivering at provides a doula for anyone wanting them. They’re affordable, too. Maybe even free!”. Perfect, you think. Now, you can finally stop worrying about the money aspect. “Really? I’m impressed the hospital is providing them. That makes me feel so safe”, you tell your friend. “Isn’t it amazing!?”. You agree. Pause a moment here and let’s consider a few things: Is it amazing? Or could it be problematic? Let’s break down the conflict of interest before you grab the phone and hire that hospital provided doula.  The Ethical Issue The presence of a doula is supposed to ensure an unbiased, evidence based birth environment. When you hire a doula they...

How to Get Your Baby to Sleep Through the Night with Eva Klein (Taken from The Birth Lounge Podcast with Eva Klein, Certified Sleep Consultant) So I am a certified infant and child sleep consultant. I help exhausted moms get their little ones consistently sleeping through the night so that they can be functioning humans again. And I got into this business because of my middle child. So, um, I'm a wife and a mom of three. I live in Toronto, Canada and I, my kids are 10, almost eight and almost three. Um, and so it was my middle child that got me into this business because interestingly, I'm actually a lawyer by training. So my previous lifetime, um, which wasn't, which was you about 10 years ago now I was working as a lawyer. I basically finished law school, had my first baby. Um, that first baby was like this unicorn baby that made me look amazing and was just so easy and happy all the time and you know, slept amazingly. And then a couple of years later when I was done law ...

Cesarean Recovery Written by: Sarah Everly No matter how we bring our children into this world, our bodies will have some healing to do. Bringing a baby earthside is physically taxing, and involves so many different systems of the human body. In the case of cesarean delivery, there are a few more steps added to the recovery process. We tend to neglect these steps when leaving the hospital, but it’s important to know what tools are available in your recovery toolbox. Here are the five most impactful tools that ensure a faster and more complete recovery.  1. Walking - After surgery your epidural or spinal will be removed and over the next few hours the numbness will begin fading away. While you may leave the OR expecting to take it as easy as possible, you will quickly find that the first task on your “to-do list” is getting up and taking a walk through the hospital corridor. While this can be painful and feel like it adds insult to injury, ambulation is imperative to proper recovery...