Birth Matters NYC

Interested in creating an online course for parents? Lisa Taylor, LCCE, CCCE, CD(DONA) will teach you how she designed and produced her online childbirth education course and share how she's used the course as both a passive income stream and as a marketing tool for her in-person services. Join Lisa this Thursday, 3/25 at 2 PM EST for this informative live video session. Access this video when you register for the full Lactation Private Practice Essential Course. https://paperlesslactation.com/blog/protocol-creation-ibclc

We are ready. We can do this. As Jennifer (in this week's BIRTH MATTERS podcast birth story) neared her due time, she felt confident that her body & spirit as well as her baby were ready for labor and birth and were able to do it. Even when under a pressure cooker unexpected turn of events in which she got a diagnosis of a severe form of preeclampsia called HELLP Syndrome and was told she'd only be allowed a few short hours to have a chance at a vaginal birth for her and her ...baby's safety before needing to shift to cesarean birth, she was determined and beat the incredible odds. Isn't it amazing what our bodies and our babies can do with this kind of mindset? What have you done in life that has been made possible by a shift in mindset or a positive mindset? How has determination been an asset? Share below!

If you're expecting a baby in the next few months, now's the perfect time to grab a spot for you and a labor support partner in virtual birth class. Our classes are all-in-one, meaning you get thorough prep for not just labor/birth but also postpartum wellness, nursing/feeding and newborn care! Check out the super positive reviews on our website or on Yelp (if you sort by date on Yelp you can focus on the virtual format reviews). We've been making a concerted effort to foster... friendship building, even in the Zoom format. If you're experiencing Zoom burnout, then our online/self-paced version of the course (same full curriculum) might be the best option.Or you can opt for both at a big discount! Good to have options. Link in bio to full schedule (currently open for registration through the end of June) and would love to meet you in class!

Check out this virtual prenatal yoga (but NYC/Queens-local) option. Support local businesses while helping stay well and prep for a great birth!

New episode of the BIRTH MATTERS podcast! Ep. 62: A Wellness Practitioner’s Surprise Induction for HELLP Syndrome What happens when you’ve planned a peaceful, undisturbed birthing center birth but are diagnosed at 37 weeks with a rare form of preeclampsia called HELLP Syndrome? Jennifer shares how this unexpected news threw her for a loop but how she calmly drove herself to the hospital to check in for an induction in which she had the pressure of needing to give birth with...in a few limited hours or else cesarean would be necessary. Tune in to hear how uncharacteristically efficient Jennifer’s labor is and how ready for giving birth her body and baby were. She also shares the number of ways she prepared for giving birth in light of her background as a clinical nutritionist, postpartum chef and yoga teacher with training as a doula. Be sure to SUBSCRIBE so you don't miss any of the weekly episodes (posted every Tuesday)! Listen at birthmattersshow.com or search "BIRTH MATTERS" wherever you get your podcasts. We'd love to hear from you; message us with questions or thoughts.

Absolutely love this music video, which shows footage of Leslie Odom Jr's wife giving birth. (Shout out to my fellow Hamilton fans...we saw LOJ in concert up in Montreal during the International Jazz Festival in July 2019 and it was SO great!) https://youtu.be/JNtluJIaCS4

New episode of the BIRTH MATTERS podcast! Ep. 50: Surprised by an Un-Scary Birth: Unfounded Fears Today’s birth story was one that took place back in May in the first couple of months of the pandemic in a Manhattan hospital, and it was recorded mid-June. Alissa initially hired a doula to help her remain calm, but due to the pandemic the hospital wasn’t allowing more than one support person, so she shifted that support to postpartum virtual support. ... Despite not having doula support for the labor, Alissa is surprised when she finds most of her 8-hour labor so manageable that she questions being in labor at all for much of it. She also explains how surprised she was at how wonderfully everything went and how her fears were unnecessary, and will also share some of the surprising ways the pandemic positively affected her experience. From there, Alissa goes on to share how deeply challenging breastfeeding was for her. When she realized it was having a hugely negative impact on her mental health and hurting her relationship with both her daughter and her husband, she ultimately decides to stop nursing and switch to bottle feeding. She’ll explain how, while it was a very difficult decision, ultimately it was an important and wise one to protect the wellness of their whole family. Be sure to SUBSCRIBE so you don't miss any of the weekly episodes (posted every Tuesday)! Listen at birthmattersshow.com or search "BIRTH MATTERS" wherever you get your podcasts. We'd love to hear from you! Please message us with feedback or if you're interested in being considered for the show. See more

Join us Thursday 1/7 @ noon EST as I chat with @tonguetieexperts (Lisa Paladino, midwife & IBCLC - lactation consultant) about tongue tie as it relates to the breastfeeding/bodyfeeding relationship. So many of my new parent alumni have reported back that getting tongue tie or lip tie properly addressed totally saved their nursing relationship. We briefly touch on this in class, but I’m excited to have this chat with an expert on this niche topic to provide more info. What th...e heck is a tongue tie? (Is baby getting dressed up and how on earth would that affect feeding?! ) If you don’t know what on earth I’m talking about, join us and learn! If you DO know what I’m talking about (already-parents and perinatal pros, I’m looking at you!), join us to deepen your knowledge and bring your more advanced questions on alternatives to oral adjustments, post-adjustment care, or whatever your curious question on the topic might be! Post Qs below (especially if you can’t make the live) and we’ll do our best to address them.

Black parents/birthing folks, please check out this study and consider as one way to improve outcomes.

I'm STRONG and I CAN do this. ... In this week's BIRTH MATTERS podcast birth story, Erin had a couple of moments that helped facilitate a mindset shift -- moments that reminded her she was strong and she was well-equipped to navigate the unexpected twists and turns of giving birth. ... Sometimes it just takes a kind word from someone or a glance at a journal or notes you've taken, as with Erin, to make that shift toward confidence.... ... What are the things you need to remember when you give birth or navigate life's unexpected twists and turns, including a pandemic as well as parenting? ... What will help you get into the mindset that, no matter what happens in 2021, you can take it, that idea of, "BRING IT ON!"??? ... Photo credit: Christina Miles photography See more

Just finished this book and highly recommend it. Based in gentle, science-based, biologically appropriate nurturing baby sleep techniques. ... Parents, who has read and applied the principles in it? Would love to hear your insights. ... Thanks @thehappysleeper for this great book! I plan to add it my recommendation list for expectant parent clients.

Expect the unexpected in the journey into parenthood, doing your best to stay positive and flexible. ... In this week's episode of the BIRTH MATTERS podcast, Amayra is told her son will be born with a cleft. This certainly was unexpected, and ended up meaning she had to shift from one birth setting to another. ... In your own journey in trying to conceive, pregnancy or into parenthood, what unexpected twists and turns have required you to try to be flexible and keep a positive outlook?

Join us Wed 11/11 @ noon EST as Lisa chats with Jennifer Jolorte Doro, co-founder and culinary director of NOURI (as well as the Founder of a private nutrition practice - alitebit). ... She's a Clinical Nutritionist and Postpartum Chef who focuses primarily on providing nutritious meals to families postpartum, breastfeeding counseling, and helping families navigate the transition to solid food and beyond. ... Join us to learn more about the specific nutritional needs both be...fore and after giving birth, and how specific foods and nutrients can truly serve as medicine to improve common pregnancy and postpartum issues. ... You'll also learn how foods can optimize your health for this monumental experience of carrying a baby, giving birth, and journeying into parenthood. ... Not only that, but strategic nutrition will also optimize baby's healthy brain development and overall health. ... Do you have pregnancy or postpartum issues that you wonder if strategic, customized nutrition could help with? Have questions for our expert? Post below and/or join us 11/11 live! See more

This week, our family will assemble 100 PPE kits for NYC frontline maternal health care workers and birthing families. (Many thanks to @doulaxdesign for delivering the supplies today!) --- Funds have been exhausted because the need is great; more funds are needed so the response team can continue this effort. Please consider for your year-end giving if you can. You can help 1 family for only $5! ---... ***Visit Metrodoulagroup.com to donate via PayPal or Venmo.*** --- Repost @metrodoulagroup Please join Metro Doula Group COVID Response Team in helping our efforts to provide PPE during this second wave. ... #MetroDoulaCOVIDResponseTeam #MDG #doula #nycdoula #ppe #doulas #midwife #midwifes #postpartum #postpartumdoula #masksforall #metrodoula #doulagoals #covid19 #covid19ppe #covid #ctdoula #njdoula #upstatenydoula #westchesterdoula #hudsonvalleydoula #doulalife #doulasofinstagram #corona #coronavirus #coronaresponse #birthdoula

ICYMI: Here's the recording of today's IG live: "Nursing Support in Pandemic Times" with my colleague Simone Toomer, Brooklyn-based lactation counselor, La Leche League leader, Chocolate Milk Cafe leader, and soon-to-be IBCLC. Especially if you are a black birthing or nursing mother/person, please check out Chocolate Milk Café National Inc. to find a great community of support! Simone leads a Brooklyn group (virtual for now) but they just went national in the past few weeks. https://www.instagram.com/tv/CHIzkoQF2fb/

Last chance to sign up for our last 2020 class and prep you and a labor support partner for birth! For anyone who needs a pay what you can option, that's an option at checkout.

New episode of the BIRTH MATTERS podcast! Ep. 51: Unexpected Early Induction for Lack of Fetal Movement When Erin shows up for her weekly prenatal appointment around 37 weeks without her partner due to Covid restrictions, she is caught by surprise when she’s told an immediate induction is necessary because they don’t detect enough fetal movement. They’re not even packed at this point, so Mike goes home to grab a few things. ... Birth intentions out the window, Erin finds new perspective and resolve to give birth with confidence when a couple of things happen to help her re-center and adjust. This is a birth story of a smooth induction with an epidural in which baby needs to go to the NICU for a bit due to low birth weight. Mike joins and shares a partner’s perspectives on support, bonding, and being surprised by the way he felt when their son was born. Be sure to SUBSCRIBE so you don't miss any of the weekly episodes (posted every Tuesday)! Listen at birthmattersshow.com or search "BIRTH MATTERS" wherever you get your podcasts. We'd love to hear from you! Please message us with feedback or if you're interested in being considered for the show. See more

Have you ever pumped milk on the subway? ... Or where is the oddest, most unexpected, or most awkward place you've had to pump? ... In this week's BIRTH MATTERS podcast birth story, Kirtan shared how she had to pump on the train home from work one time.... ... Ya do what ya gotta do, my friends. Welcome to parenthood, am I right?! ... Please share if you have pumping stories! See more

New episode of the BIRTH MATTERS podcast! Ep. 43: A Black Mom's Care Team Choices for Baby's Cleft Diagnosis Today you’ll hear a story shared by Amayra, a Black woman living in NYC who initially planned to give birth at home due to her knowledge about the poor outcomes for Black birthing folks in hospitals. ... Things took an unexpected turn when Amayra learned her baby had a cleft diagnosis so that she needed to switch to a hospital birth attended by midwives. ... Amayra shares how she intentionally chose Black care providers not only for her birth support team, including her doula, but also as she selected a surgeon during pregnancy to correct the cleft soon after birth. She also provides a bunch of excellent tips for expectant and new parents toward the end, too, so be sure to listen to the whole episode. Also, stay tuned to the end of this episode and I'll talk about the aforementioned poor outcomes further, say the names of 3 Black New Yorkers who lost their lives in childbirth in the past few months. I'll also share ways you can learn and help, including advocating for the opening of more out of hospital birthing center efforts such as @birthingplacebx and supporting community doula organizations such as @ancientsong. Be sure to SUBSCRIBE so you don't miss any of the weekly episodes (posted every Tuesday)! Listen at birthmattersshow.com or search "BIRTH MATTERS" wherever you get your podcasts. We'd love to hear from you! Please message us with feedback or if you're interested in being considered for the show. See more

There's a huge range of normal with all things birth and babies. ... In this week's BIRTH MATTERS podcast episode, midwife Elaine had a shorter than average first labor. It took even her, with all her experience, a bit by surprise experientially. ... My students probably get tired of hearing me say, "HUGE RANGE OF NORMAL." But we need to keep it in mind because this entire process is unique for every person and we can only lay out the clinical "textbook" expectations as a kin...d of general lay of the land. ... It certainly keeps things interesting and keep us birth professionals always on our toes, always learning...similarly to parenting and babies! ... How has your journey toward or into parenthood -- whether trying to conceive, pregnancy, or parenting -- proven to you the huge range of normal? See more

Juliana is one of the loveliest people I know. She's magnetic and is such a deep well of wisdom, and tons of my expectant parent clients have adored her and her prenatal Yoga classes for years. Make a New Year's resolution to just try one of her virtual offerings and I'm confident you'll be hooked!

Here are the latest kind words shared on Google & Yelp by a recent Birth Matters virtual childbirth series grad. ... Wishing Lucy and her beloved a beautiful birth! ... Find links in our bio to sign up for virtual class or our online "anytime" course to get equipped for your OWN beautiful metamorphosis into parenthood.

For folks who identify as African-American and/or black, and are nursing or planning to nurse, check out this great new local form of monthly community support! My respected colleague Simone Toomer is a facilitator. From their page: The Chocolate Milk Café is a peer to peer support group for breastfeeding/chestfeeding or breastmilk feeding African-American and/or Black families. We provide a sacred and nurturing environment within which participants can connect around the topic and the act of feeding their infants, discuss culturally unique concerns, and access education which promotes success.

New episode of the BIRTH MATTERS podcast! Ep. 42: A NYC midwife's quick first labor We're excited to have a wonderful NYC midwife, Elaine Keller-Duemig, on this episode. ... Elaine was the care provider in last episode's 2 birth stories. In this episode, she shares her own baby’s birth story. ... ... She chose to gave birth at the hospital where she works with a midwife at her practice, Central Park Midwifery. ... This is a story of a shorter than average first-time labor in which she gets to the hospital in the nick of time. Elaine shares how, experientially, the unpredictability of how labor can go felt kind of surprising. It’s amazing how, no matter your level of expertise, birth will always feel mysterious and unknowable and we can’t get into our heads too much. ... Elaine also shares about her journey into her work as a midwife and a bit about the midwifery model of care. Be sure to SUBSCRIBE so you don't miss any of the weekly episodes (posted every Tuesday)! Listen at birthmattersshow.com or search "BIRTH MATTERS" wherever you get your podcasts. We'd love to hear from you! Please message us with feedback or if you're interested in being considered for the show. See more

Quarantine new and super easy family fave, inspired by a Tiktok video recipe. Baked brie with fig jam and chopped nuts, served with crackers, pears, roasted organic veggies (beets, carrots, parsnips) from @misfitsmarket, and Mediterranean chicken skewers from @costco DM me if you want me to send you the recipe link (I found a written version that's nearly the same). What's your fave new recipe discovered during quarantine? Always love new ideas.

We voted on the first day of early voting in NYC, hurray! Highly recommend skipping the line and directly dropping your absentee ballot in the ballotbox at your early voting location or Board of Elections (during open hours as the box is inside where voting is happening). The only thing that was weird is that there wasn't signage indicating where to enter/find the ballotbox, but at our location you just go to the Museum of the Moving Image's 36th st. side entrance (where vote...rs waiting in line enter) and walk right in to drop your ballot in the box. The line today at our early voting location, on this first day of early voting in NYC, was 3.25 hrs long (we heard from a guy at the front)! Awesome to see such a great turnout. We stood in line for a while, but bailed when we realized it wa going to take more time than we had, ran home to grab our absentee ballots, and returned to skip the line. So much faster and still felt like voting in person. As an aside, love that our early voting location is at Museum of the Moving Image, on site at Kaufman Astoria Movie Studios...where we'll return tomorrow night for Grayson's finalist screening @astoriafilmfestival! Our tees thanks to @teerico_linma #voteearly #vote #ivotedearly #historyhasitseyesonyou #hamiltonthemusical #yourvotematters #changeisacomin #feelinghopeful #makeyourvoiceheard

"Pivoting is the heart of parenting." - Yuliya in this week's episode of the Birth Matters podcast ... Truer words were never spoken, eh? If you're a parent, you KNOW what I'm talking about, particularly in these pandemic times!!! ... What are the biggest pivots you've had to make in the journey into parenthood?

Please comment on the original post if this applies to you.

Hurray! Join us for birth and fertility stories!

New episode of the BIRTH MATTERS podcast! Ep. 41: Two Induced Births with Hospital Midwives In this episode, Yuliya shares both of her babies’ birth stories. She explains how she made the intentional choice of working with a practice of in-hospital midwives as well as hired a doula for both births, as this was the kind of birth team that she felt could help her have the kind of physiological births she hoped for. While she didn’t plan or hope to have 2 inductions, that’s... how things played out given unexpected circumstances in each pregnancy of low amniotic fluid and then the pandemic. She details how she was able to cope with both medical inductions with non-pharmacological pain coping techniques using some of the techniques she knows intuitively and as a clinical psychologist as well as with the support of the team she so carefully chose. Standard FB end: Be sure to SUBSCRIBE so you don't miss any of the weekly episodes (posted every Tuesday)! Listen at birthmattersshow.com or search "BIRTH MATTERS" wherever you get your podcasts. We'd love to hear from you! Please message us with feedback or if you're interested in being considered for the show. See more

Trust that you have all you need for giving birth & parenting. ... I say it all the time: you are your baby's own best advocate. ... Trust, surrender, and proceed with making highly individualized choices for your pregnancy, labor, and parenting. And don't take anyone's judgment surrounding any of it -- you don't need it!... ... What are the specific ways that you have had to learn to trust in this journey into parenthood? See more