Cue the red carpet, marching band, and fireworks, y'all, cause today is my birthday! Yippee!  But let's be real here, people -- I'm a mom, and we all know what that means. I'll be schlepping screaming kids from Point A to Point B, scrubbing skid marks out of little undies, and turning to my friend Google to help…

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** Apparently, hormones, cramps, and child birth weren't enough, so we have night sweats to add to all the fun.

** Goatdog likes Mammaw so much that he wants to eat her.…

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It's hard to believe that ten whole years have passed since I was squeezing my legs together like a freaking vice so my twins wouldn't be born on my birthday.  Yep, call me crazy, but I did NOT wanna have to share the same b-day as my kiddos.  I mean, seriously, moms get so few days of recognition as it is!…

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Hypnobirthing is another child birthing method that was discovered in 1944 by obstetrician Dr. Grantly Dick-Read.  He felt that women could have a safe, easy, relaxed child birth experience by using hypnosis during child birth.  Many women often times will tense up when their contractions start becoming unbearable; instead, of working with their body using breathing and relaxation techniques.

Learn more about the benefits to using hypnosis during child birth…

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 We all know that pregnancy is supposed to last nine months. Before pregnancy, when I asked someone what month she was in the answer was simple, second, fourth, eighth…. When you're pregnant it somehow changes to weeks. I'm not sure if this is some new method of counting which is more accurate, but we no longer count months, but instead, weeks.Since I was pregnant with twins, I knew that it was quite possible I would give birth well…

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Oh what I would give to go back in time and rethink how I would spend those early days with my precious newborn! I can’t, but I can pass on great information that I’ve since learned would have put us on a much better beginning.

It’s kind of funny now how incredibly naive I was when it came to the immense responsibility of around the clock care. We genuinely thought we could handle a baby waking every 2.5 hours to eat, 24 hours a day.

 …

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“Wait a minute!” you may be thinking. Childbirth is scary with lots of drama and pain! How could it possibly be “smart” and “sexy”?  That’s just crazy, right?

 

Wrong. Let’s look at some facts about a woman’s body that enables her and for most women, to have a baby in the first place.

 

After a woman conceives through the old fashioned way (sex) or by Invetro fertilization (IVF), the embryo implants on the uterine wall and begins to grow. It is totally in the…

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There’s no doubt that you live a busy life. But when it comes to preparing for the birth of your baby you need to devote time in learning how to prepare for and manage it.

 

Like buying a house or car, many people spend hours shopping for the best deal. When it comes to childbirth though expectant…

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image (C) 2010 by Lesly Federici

 

How are you? I don't know what the weather is like where you are, but here in New Jersey there is so much snow! I am enjoying it too - it's so pretty. My son and I had a wonderful and fun snow fight while we were shoveling the driveway - a great way to connect with…

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From Childbirth to Triathlon Champion

Sherah Reeves - A member from my free women's health & fitness site Busy Moms Fitness Club… Continue

Things “They” Never Tell You…

As I make my way through the minefield of parenting, I have come to realize that there are far too many things no one ever bothers to tell you…BEFORE you have kids. It’s highly possible that these secrets are so closely guarded as to ensure the survival of the species. Whether or not these secrets would have changed my mind on…

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Although most pregnant women anticipate a normal, uncomplicated delivery, there are exceptions to the rules. A shoulder dystocia is one of the more frequent complications in the delivery room and unfortunately there is no sure-fire way to predict it.



A shoulder dystocia means that extra maneuvers must be done to deliver the baby’s shoulders. If not managed properly, the baby could sustain permanent injuries to its neck and arms. The most… Continue

I've very excited to announce that beginning tomorrow, I’m going to begin a weekly post with a positive, natural childbirth story. I’m lining up guest posters who will be sharing their personal stories of how they brought their baby into the world.



I’m a huge natural childbirth advocate. If you think women who have natural births are martyrs with something to prove, you might want to stop reading now, I’m about to get on my soap box. Don't say I didn't warn you.



The idea… Continue

In the beginning....

The gods were women.



There are still vestiges of this in our modern culture. "Mother Earth." "Mother Nature."



Mankind was so awed by the magical ability of the Earth to bring forth life every spring that they made her a god. Most ancient origin myths, even in later, patriarchal societies, began with the Earth giving birth to the other gods.



The Great Goddess nurtured her people, fed them, and… Continue