Actress Toni Collette, known for her roles in Little Miss Sunshine, Muriel’s Wedding, and The Sixth Sense, gave birth to her first child one year ago. In last weekend’s Parade magazine feature, she was asked how she got back in shape after giving birth.
“I do yoga and Pilates, but the body itself knows what to do,” she said. “When you’re breastfeeding, the body has its own way to shrink.”

The Labor Day holiday presents a fitting day to discuss labor — the birthing kind! Here are my answers to the Labor Day meme. You can play along with Rocks In My Dryer too, but be sure to leave a comment here with your link (or just your answers if you don’t have a blog) so I know to go read your answers!
How long were your labors?
Kid #1, 22 hours.
Kid #2, 5 hours.
Kid #3, 11 hours.
See a pattern there? Nope, me neither.
How did you know you were in labor?
Kid #1, contractions that woke me up at …read more

From The Breastfeeding Answer Book:
Caused by postpartum hemorrhage so severe that the blood loss irreversibly damages the pituitary gland, Sheehan’s syndrome can cause breastfeeding failure. Other symptoms include loss of pubic and underarm hair, inability to tolerate cold, low blood pressure, and atrophy of vaginal tissue, as well as subsequent infertility.
p. 569. For more see:
~ Birthsource.com
~ “Infant Insufficient Milk Syndrome Associated with Maternal Postpartum Hemorrhage” (abstract) from the Journal of Human Lactation

On Wednesday July 16 I was 38 weeks and 1 day into the pregnancy. The midwife had just finished her pre-birth home visit at 3:15 that afternoon. At 4 p.m. I was resting in bed and reading stories to my girls. Over the next hour I had some contractions, but no more and no stronger than I’d been having over the previous several days, so I didn’t pay much attention. Until I felt a little “pffzt” in my belly and I wondered whether that could possibly be my water breaking.

Nicole Marie White
7 pounds, 2 ounces
19.5 inches
Born Thursday, July 17, 2008
at 2:51 a.m.
At home, in the water.
Our first nursing session lasted a blissful hour. I am happy and feeling well! More details later!

In these last few weeks of pregnancy I am busy thinking through the details of the impending birth (those for which I can plan, anyway!) As I have mentioned, I am planning on a home birth with a midwife. Should the midwife already be attending another birth, I will go to the birth center. Should I need emergency transport, I will go to the hospital within 10 minutes of my home. One detail I am still working out is where I would go in the case of non-emergency transport, in the unlikely event that I change my mind about having …read more

Hard to believe I reach 30 weeks of pregnancy tomorrow! As part of planning for the birth, I have been reading Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth (my one-sentence rave review: this is the one birth book I wish I could press into the hands of every pregnant woman I encounter). It’s got me thinking a lot about the type of birth I hope to have (at home, with as few interventions as possible), and it makes the most recent poll results all that much more interesting. Of the 150 voters, 73% said they last gave birth in a hospital setting. …read more

At 27 weeks of pregnancy, with a plan for a home birth, I am starting to hear other women’s horror stories about their birth experiences (please, people, I have my own leftover trauma from a fourth degree tear and an epidural that failed (that’s how I know I can labor and deliver without pain medication if given the opportunity!)) In the last two weeks, two women have mentioned how much the International Cesarean Awareness Network (ICAN) helped them recover emotionally from a cesarean. In addition to attending La Leche League meetings, the two women attended local ICAN support group meetings. …read more

I am not even 20 weeks along in this pregnancy and already I am focused on the birth. After two unsatisfying hospital births, this time I am working with a midwife toward a home birth. I am curious about your thoughts on birth choices and whether or not they affect breastfeeding success rates. Do you think birth center and home births are more conducive to breastfeeding success? Do breastfeeding women tend to choose birth center or home births even if they gave birth at a hospital the first time? How successful do you think hospital lactation support is? Do the …read more

MammamayI posted a very interesting and helpful response to my post on Choosing a Doula Worldwide. I particularly appreciated the information she provided on how women who are not able to afford a doula can find free or low-cost services. Read on for her advice on how to choose a doula:
“I’m a doula, and it’s GREAT that you’re addressing this! One of the best ways to have a mom who gets off on the right foot breastfeeding is to have that mom hire a doula. Women who have a doula in attendance at the birth of their child are statistically …read more