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When an expecting mother is preparing herself for delivery day, using a birthing plan can ease nerves about delivery and facilitate a better birthing experience for mom and baby.

A birth plan typically include details regarding the type of birth desired, pain management and what comfort items to remember. However, many birthing plan
templates do not include important information about birthing positions, umbilical cords or what mom should expect when she sees her baby for the first time.

Labor and birthing positions

Mothers who choose to give birth naturally and without an epidural usually find that frequently changing position during labor helps them to relax and control pain. Standing, walking and swaying can also speed up labor. There’s no perfect position for labor, but frequent changes of position during labor can help women relax and stay in control of the pain. { read more }

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Your choices about treating depression during TTC times are based on an unknown future: You make the best decisions you can in hopes of both optimizing your fertility and providing the safest environment for your anticipated pregnancy. But once that pregnancy test turns up positive, suddenly your choices carry a more serious tone.

Maternal depression during pregnancy must not be casually addressed, and its treatment cannot be over-looked. But as many women learn, the information on both safety and efficacy of depression treatments during pregnancy is both limited and confusing.

One crucial point in the decision-making process is how the data — that is, what is known or significantly indicated about treatments and their impact on both mom and the developing baby — is constantly changing over time. { read more }

About Tracy Morris

I wear a lot of hats while spinning plates and true stories. In between taking care of myself and my family, I write about fertility and other health care topics. Most of my online time lately is spent at two very different places: FertilityTies.com and TrailerParkKarma.com. Perspective is everything -- my pre-teen reminds me daily.

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Photo Credit: Sean Dreillinger

For many pregnant couples, a sterile hospital environment is the last place you want to experience the miracle of childbirth. Coupled with horror stories about nurses and doctors that push unwanted medical intervention, it is no surprise that more and more couples are choosing birth centers over traditional hospitals for childbirth.

Birth centers offer a comfortable, low-tech environment for childbirth that is much safer than home deliveries. You won’t have to worry about your labor being induced or a forced c-section, and you’ll receive encouragement to have a drug-free birth. But you will also feel comfortable knowing that these centers are equipped with oxygen, medication, and infant resuscitation equipment if they become medically necessary. Many women choose birthing centers because they allow a sense of control and involvement that traditional hospitals don’t offer. But before selecting a birth center, there are several questions you and your partner should consider. { read more }

About Monet Moutrie

Monet Moutrie is a writer and baker, who lives in Austin, Texas with her three cats and husband. Between government work, graduate school and her own blog, Anecdotes and Apple Cores, nothing sounds better to Monet than an evening of yoga, a cup of Earl Grey tea and a novel. Knock on her front door and you'll find her pulling out a loaf of bread from the oven while brainstorming ideas for her own work of fiction.

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Depression is so prevalent in the United States, if you don’t have a diagnosis, chances are good you know someone who does. But it’s still tough to talk about out in the open. That stigma is particularly unfortunate for women who are on their fertility journey.

Nearly all of us approach the notion of parenthood with comforting images in our minds. We envision the best possible circumstances for our growing family. A depressed parent doesn’t exactly fit the picture. But the National Institutes of Mental Health says about 6.5 percent of U.S. adults have depression and that women are 70 percent more likely than men to experience depression in their lifetime.

Toward the effort of bringing maternal depression into the light, Ellen Cooper-Davis agreed to talk about her personal story. { read more }

About Tracy Morris

I wear a lot of hats while spinning plates and true stories. In between taking care of myself and my family, I write about fertility and other health care topics. Most of my online time lately is spent at two very different places: FertilityTies.com and TrailerParkKarma.com. Perspective is everything -- my pre-teen reminds me daily.

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Choosing your prenatal vitamins is an important part of creating a healthy nutrition plan for your pregnancy. And there is no reason to wait until you are pregnant. Pre-pregnancy is the best time to begin healthy habits that will create a healthy womb for your baby. Some supplements can even increase your chances of fertility, so why not start early?

What to look for on the label

Knowing what prenatal vitamins are right for you starts with reading the label. The important nutrients to look for are folic acid (which prevents neural tube defects), calcium, zinc, manganese, iodine, vitamin B6 and iron. You’ll especially need to make sure you’re getting enough iron if you are anemic or eating a vegan or vegetarian diet. The calcium is to help support your baby’s skeletal system. The iodine is to support healthy brain and thyroid growth for your baby, and the vitamin B6 will help ease nausea and morning sickness. { read more }

About Lisa Gale

"She was an artist and her life was her canvas." (Kobi Yamada) When I grow up, I want to be her! For now, it's fun to pretend.

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Knowing your time of ovulation can be simple. If your cycle is a normal twenty-eight days long, ovulation happens around the fourteenth day after the first day of your period. If your cycle is different, however, it can be very useful to know some of the ways your body changes during ovulation.

There are a few primary telltale signs, as well as secondary signs. According to the American Pregnancy Association, ovulation times can vary from month to month. Knowing the signs of ovulation and being a little intuitive about your body can help you know your most fertile time of each month.  If you’re experiencing several of these at once, chances are good that you are ovulating. { read more }

About Lisa Gale

"She was an artist and her life was her canvas." (Kobi Yamada) When I grow up, I want to be her! For now, it's fun to pretend.

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The Pregnancy Power Workbook by Camilla Bicknell, RNC, WHNP & James S. Betoni, DO

To say I felt crazy with questions when I was finally pregnant with my son is an understatement. But I wasn’t the type to call my doctor at every twinge. I saved my questions for my prenatal exams. I may have been crazy worried, but I didn’t want to appear that way! And I don’t think it was always helpful having access to everything I wanted to know (and a bunch of stuff I didn’t want to know) on the Internet.

So I relied on a handful of books that I trusted, recommended by people I trusted, written by people with credentials and experience that made complete sense to me. One of the latest that would be at my bedside today if I was pregnant is The Pregnancy Power Workbook. And Pure Natural Mom is giving away two copies to our readers! Details on how to win are at the bottom of this post. { read more }

About Tracy Morris

I wear a lot of hats while spinning plates and true stories. In between taking care of myself and my family, I write about fertility and other health care topics. Most of my online time lately is spent at two very different places: FertilityTies.com and TrailerParkKarma.com. Perspective is everything -- my pre-teen reminds me daily.

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Photo: The Gap

Just because you’re pregnant or nursing doesn’t meant to need to skimp on comfort or style. You also don’t need to splurge on a whole new wardrobe just to keep up with your changing body. As long as you have some quality basics in your closet, you can create a pregnancy- and nursing-friendly wardrobe that can take you through nine months of a big belly, all the way to when you’re breastfeeding your new baby.

The basics: What you need to have on hand

Check to see if your current wardrobe already has the following basic pieces. These are wardrobe staples that you can wear during both your pregnancy and your breastfeeding days. { read more }

About Martine De Luna

I'm a freelance writer, editor, blogger and former preschool teacher. Married with one kid, I'm a work-at-home mom, but most of all, a mom-in-the-works. I'm a work in progress, and I believe that living intentionally day by day will help me become the best mom for my child.

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www.parents.com

For nine and a half months, your body has been a hormone factory. Along with growing a new body, your own body has been through many changes. Now that your little bundle of joy has arrived, you can expect further changes in your physical terrain. Here are some of the more common ones.

Hormone drop

From day 3 and onward, your hormone levels are going to be radically fluctuating again. Those body-created, feel-good drugs are leaving your system, which can leave you feeling a touch of the baby blues. Not to worry, for most new moms this condition passes within days. Those few days can feel like a very long time, though, so do be extra kind and gentle with yourself during this time. Avoid harsh people and environments, and above all know that this too shall pass. { read more }

About Lisa Gale

"She was an artist and her life was her canvas." (Kobi Yamada) When I grow up, I want to be her! For now, it's fun to pretend.

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It’s so tempting to wish all pregnant women look effortlessly gorgeous as Heidi Klum, Nicole Ritchie and Natalie Portman did when they were expecting. But reality does indeed bite, and being pregnant isn’t always so glamorous like these Hollywood stars make it out to be. In fact, there’s nothing really attractive about the weird and often uncomfortable symptoms those nine months can bring. Luckily, they’re all perfectly normal. Here are some of the most common unpleasant ones and tips on how to get through them.  { read more }

About Martine De Luna

I'm a freelance writer, editor, blogger and former preschool teacher. Married with one kid, I'm a work-at-home mom, but most of all, a mom-in-the-works. I'm a work in progress, and I believe that living intentionally day by day will help me become the best mom for my child.

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