pandemic Archives | Mama Glow

Mamazine Moment, Mindfulness, Pregnancy, Uncategorized

My Journey Mindfully Preparing for Birth During a Global Pandemic

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Featured Content (Homepage), Featured Content (Mamazine), Uncategorized

Abby Epstein & Ricki Lake’s ‘The Business of Being Born’ Is Free in Support of Expectant Mothers

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Pregnancy, The Journey, Uncategorized

How The Coronavirus Could Affect Pregnancy: 5 Things You Should Know

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Baby Glow, Featured Content (Homepage), Featured Content (Mamazine), Mamahood, Pregnancy, Uncategorized, Wellness

March of Dimes: Protecting Healthy Moms & Strong Babies Through the COVID-19 Pandemic

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Movement, Popular, Self-Care, Uncategorized

5 PMS Remedies to Support You Through the Pandemic

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Features, Mamazine Moment, Pregnancy, Wellness

Pregnancy and the Coronavirus: How to Prepare & Protect Yourself

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MAMA GLOW WEBINAR - LGBTQ+ PARENTING AFFIRMING BLA

MAMA GLOW WEBINAR - LGBTQ+ PARENTING AFFIRMING BLACK LIFE
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Tonight at 6:30pm ET Join us in conversation as we close out Pride month with critically acclaimed author @junauda Junauda Petrus-Nasah and activist @jodiepatterson Jodie Patterson for a conversation about their respective journeys as black women and mothers who are a part of the LGBTQ+ community.
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Junauda Petrus-Nasah, activist and author of YA sensation “The Stars and The Blackness Between Them" will share her journey as a mother in a blended family co-parenting and how she and her partner navigate raising a daughter in Minneapolis during the protests for black life. Jodie Patterson, LGBTQ activist, mother of 5 and author of "The Bold World" will share her journey of parenting a trans son and how she has committed her life to trans activism. Moderated by the incomparable @jamiaawilson Jamia Wilson, feminist activist snd Executive Director of Feminist Press, this conversation will explore the intersections of race and gender and expand the lens on parenting and the seeds of activism. This conversation will be educational, inspirational and actionable.
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Like all of our Mama Glow webinars, this will be recorded and available for watch on demand. Visit stories or @mamaglow or www.mamaglow.com/gatherings to register! Join our mailing list at www.mamaglow.com so you don’t miss these gatherings.
#mamaglow #webinar #education #lgbtqfamily #lgbtq🌈 #transgender #blacklivesmatter #family #blm #pride

Mama Glow - Attached. Latched. Connected. _ 📷

Mama Glow - Attached. Latched. Connected.
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📷 @rebornfromwithin 🙏🏽
#mamaglow #birth #homebirth #waterbirth #placenta #maternity #motherhood #breastfeeding

Mama Glow- POSTPARTUM C-SECTION RECOVERY _ Pain a

Mama Glow- POSTPARTUM C-SECTION RECOVERY
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Pain at the incision site can be especially sharp when coughing or laughing, or when using the abdominal muscles to sit or stand. Partners or support people can help by taking over diaper changing for the first few weeks and by helping you sit up in the middle of the night to nurse and arranging pillows for you to help elevate the baby to breast level. Pillows placed on the lower abdomen can also help ease pain in the incision site. A breastfeeding support pillow can help.
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After a c-section there is an increased chance for possible infection. Depending on the level of your discomfort, the doctor might prescribe a pain reliever or advise you to take an OTC pain medication such as ibuprofen(Advil, Motrin) or acetaminophen (Tylenol). In addition to pain medicine, you can use a light heating pad to relieve discomfort at the surgical site. They will remove the stitches or clips after about 5 days, unless there are dissolvable stitches.
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Once the dressing has been removed, clean and dry the wound carefully and gently every day. It may be more comfortable to wear cotton high-waisted pants and loose fitting clothes.
_ People who deliver via c-section are 4x more likely to develop a blood clot than those who deliver vaginally. You may have been given a supply of a blood-thinning drug to reduce risk of blood clots. If so, they will show you how to inject yourself. You may want to designate someone to help with the injections as it can cause anxiety for some. The partner or family members can help too. You’ll need to be available to inject at the same time each day. You might have the injections once a day for a week after the c-section. If there is a higher risk of forming blood clots, some moms may have the injections for up to 6 weeks.
_ Getting in and out of bed can be difficult or uncomfortable while recovering from the c-section. It’s easier to get out of bed by rolling on to your side, dropping both legs over the side of the bed and then pushing up sideways. Try to stand up as straight as possible and walk to relieve the gas. A postpartum Doula can be helpful in navigating this time.
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📷 @the_pettylife 🙏🏽

Mama Glow - WATER DURING BIRTH _ One of the safes

Mama Glow - WATER DURING BIRTH
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One of the safest & most effective forms of pain relief in labor is immersion in deep water or a warm shower. Hydrotherapy has been used for relaxation, healing, & pain relief for centuries, & is widely used in physical therapy, sports medicine & other disciplines. Hydrotherapy in labor is great because:
• Soaking in a tub or lingering in the shower is soothing • Studies have shown that it is safe, & reduces pain, we call the bath “the midwife’s epidural.”
• The birthing person remains clear headed & able to move about normally
• Most birthing people who plan to use water in labor want it for pain relief. Some would also like to give
birth in the water, a practice that is restricted to homebirth & birth centers in North America, but is supported in many European hospitals. Look at the baby above between two worlds.
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When a pregnant person sits in a deep warm bath, a series of physiological changes begins immediately. These alter hormone production & fluid distribution throughout the body. These are not observed when one sits in a few inches of water.
The body’s short-term responses to immersion:
• The warmth & buoyancy of the water bring about immediate relaxation & pain relief. This
lowers the production of stress hormones. • Even the anticipation of getting into the tub has some of the same psychological effects as actually
getting in. Hearing the water run has benefit.
• The body’s own oxytocin is secreted by the pituitary gland in larger quantities
• At the same time, the weight of the water (hydrostatic pressure) against her tissues presses tissue fluid form her arms, legs, & skin into her circulation, which markedly increases her blood volume, especially in her chest & heart.
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Because of the short-term effects, timing of the bath is important. If you get in too early & stay too long, there is little benefit & labor will slow down; you may not progress into active labor. Try to wait until 5cm dilation or more. Then you’re likely to experience immediate pain relief, along with increased progress in dilation. Save the tub for when you really need it! 💓@mamaglow
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📷 @lightworkphotography of 👑 @badassmotherbirther

Mama Glow - After Birth. STAGE 3 OF LABOR _ Stage

Mama Glow - After Birth. STAGE 3 OF LABOR
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Stage 3 of Labor- Birth of the placenta. After vaginal delivery of the baby, the placenta is born. It takes usually between 5-30minutes to deliver the placenta, sometimes a little longer. In this time the placenta detaches from the wall of the uterus and is moved down by contractions. You may be asked to push to help expel the placenta. Your doctor or midwife may massage your abdomen to encourage the placenta to move down and to check for the firmness of your uterus as it involutes. You may experience a gush of blood or clots leave your body as well. It’s important that the entire placenta is expelled from the body. Retained placenta can cause bleeding and other unwanted side effects including infection or endometriosis. If your baby is interested in nursing during this time you can latch the baby and their suckling will help keep the uterus contracting which will support the delivery of the placenta.
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This organ serves as a filter between the birthing person and the fetus, containing blood vessels that connect them while everything is filtered through this complex endocrine organ. Nutrients, oxygen pass through the filter to of the placenta to reach the infant, and waste also filters out to leave the fetus.
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The placenta has two sides. The maternal side is usually a rich burgundy color and the fetal side is shiny and almost translucent and blue in color. When you deliver the placenta it will be examined by your midwife or doctor.
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In Bali the placenta is considered the physical body of the baby’s guardian angel. 💓 @mamaglow
_ 📷 @vanessamendezphotography of the radiant mama @rachellmonique and her babe🙏🏽
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#mamaglow #birth #postpartum #maternalhealth #midwife #homebirth #placenta #pregnancy

Mama Glow - A laying on of hands. Touch transmits

Mama Glow - A laying on of hands. Touch transmits intention. Firm touch communicates safety, peace, and love. Firm touch can assist with calming the nervous system and invoking a relaxation response in the body. Firm touch can create a deep sense of connection and transcendence. When we close our eyes touch is amplified. Touch can be an offering, touch can be a prayer, touch can be holy, touch can be healing. Touch should always be consensual.
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There are 4 languages of touch.
Nurturing touch – rocking, stroking, hand-holding, gentle kiss

Therapeutic touch – touch for healing

Sensual touch- to arouse the senses

Erotic touch – meant to stimulate sexual arousal

As doulas our language of touch is nurturing and therapeutic. What are some ways you like to be touched? What soothes you? Are you working on your relationship with touch?
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📷 @mindfulbirthproject
#mamaglow #birth #pregnancy #postpartum #prayer #touch #healing #tradition #ancestral #therapy #love #family #birth #intimacy #doula

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