Salt & Light Birthkeeping Services

07/20/2023

A new Yale study has found a possible explanation for why breastfeeding can provide protection.

07/20/2023

The non-profit National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) is an independent clearinghouse for information on diseases and vaccine science, policy, law and the ethical principle of informed consent. NVIC publishes information about vaccination and health to encourage educated decision-making. NVIC do...

02/20/2023

I always love watching for these cues as I nurse my sweet little babe. Have you seen these cues in your babe as well? Did you know about these little “fuel gauge” cues?

Nurtured Nurslings Lactation Consulting LLC - Kelly Slattery IBCLC, RLC

Several of you have mentioned that this doesn’t apply to you because baby likes to keep a hand on the breast either way. Note: look at what baby is doing with his/her hand. Making a fist = hungry baby. Open, relaxed hand = full.

12/12/2022

Those big chunky babies 😍🥰
My last was 10.3lbs… curious to see how much this little one will be!

BIG BABIES are 🚫NOT🚫 scary!

You CAN do this!

Sharing this post because it matters that we change the narrative...

Baby's weight 5.46 kg (12 pounds)
Gestation: 42 weeks
Labour: a quick 3 hours
Birth place: home - birth pool in the play room
This is her 3rd baby.
And - intact perineum.

Side note: laying a newborn facedown on the scales, on top of a warmed nappy ... results in way less crying.

Midwife Jo Hunter says it all:

Stop telling women they can’t birth big babies out of their va**na!
herbs

12/05/2022

Beautiful hands off frank breech. ❤️

11/25/2022

Anyone needing to stock up on birth supplies… take advantage of the sale! 🎉
I sure did for my soon to be babe, count down on T +/- 3 weeks (more likely 4 weeks lol)

Shop sitewide and save 15%

11/21/2022

Adorable hats for those soon to be Christmas babies! ♥️
Go enter the drawing!

I feel like getting festive so let's have a little giveaway!!!!

5 newborn Santa hats to be given away

To enter please ❤️ this post, follow the page and then comment below that you have followed and then enter either for yourself and/or tag any friends or family expecting between now and Christmas. You will then be allocated a number for each entry

Please feel free to share this post on your own pages, with any antenatal groups you are attending or may teach at and in any due in groups 😍

Names will be drawn on Friday at 8pm

Good Luck!!!

11/14/2022

Elective induction around a holiday is for convenience, but not yours.

With Thanksgiving & Christmas coming up, loads of unnecessary inductions and c-sections are about to happen.

Every year there is a HUGE decrease in births on (and around)...

🔆 Christmas
🔆 New Year’s Eve/Day
🔆 Easter (changes yearly - first Sunday after the full moon in April)
🔆 Memorial Day (changes yearly - last Monday in May in the US)
🔆 Independence Day (4th of July in the US)
🔆 Thanksgiving (changes yearly - last Thursday in November)

And it’s not just the United States - it's everywhere.

How could it be that all of these holidays have lower birth rates year after year?

It’s not a coincidence - it’s about convenience.

And not YOUR convenience. The convenience of providers.

No one wants to work on holidays, and hospital birth providers have a way to make sure (for the most part) that they don’t have to.

Inductions & c-sections are rarely scheduled ON holidays, but they ARE frequently scheduled in the days leading up to, or just after, a holiday.

If you are due around a holiday, and your provider suggests an induction or c-section, it’s a good idea to question why (remember that you always have the right to decline). If there is NOT a legitimate medical reason, they may be more concerned with being home in time for a holiday dinner than your well being.

For more info and references on this topic, check out my FREE holiday births handout on my website (birthuprising.com/resources).

07/18/2022

These things are NOT informed consent and YOU have every right to decline anything you don’t want. Things the dr/midwife says when it comes to exams or things being done during birth should be questions, not statements.

☝️ Informed consent is NOT telling you what is going to happen, it is INFORMING you on the benefits and risks of your choices so YOU can make an informed decision.​​​​​​​​
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There are topics that need to be discussed and researched before you give birth, that way you are aware of everything that is going on and educated on the choices that may be presented to you. Being educated and knowledgeable before you're in the heat of the moment is crucial. Informed consent and informed refusal are both so important. ​​​​​​​​
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🤝 Informed consent is not a form or a signature. It is a process between you and your care provider that helps you decide what will and will not be done to your body. In the case of maternity care, informed consent also gives you the authority to decide about the care that affects your baby.​​​​​​​​
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🤰 Be sure to take care to choose a doctor or midwife who respects your needs, values and goals. If you find out over time that you disagree with your care provider or the policies at your planned birth setting, you can explore other options.​​​​​​​​
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You have rights. You have choices. You have options!​​​​​​​​
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http://www.childbirthconnection.org/maternity-care/making-informed-decisions/ #:~:text=Informed%20consent%20is%20not%20a,care%20that%20affects%20your%20baby.​​​​​​​​
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03/01/2022

When baby is still high (-2 station or higher) sometimes a little nudge to open the pelvic inlet helps correct positional issues and encourages engagement. This is a great position to use with an epidural or when mom just needs a rest (Bonus: you can still do hip squeezes during contractions to help open the hips by pressing down on top of the upper thigh).

Make sure to pop those hips out forward and push those knees back as far as they will go.

This mama (a client of Julie’s) labored long and hard to get her sweet baby here, and this position helped bring baby down.

What are some things you did or are planning to do to help labor progress?

My go to tip is just keep moving! Changing positions every 3-5 contractions helps the pelvis, uterus, and baby work together.

📸:
Tips:

02/17/2022

Breech birth is beautiful! A variation of normal ❤️

02/14/2022

The best thing you can do is educate yourself on birth (your wants and wishes) and Hire a doula/birthkeeper to help you in that moment to uphold your values and wishes!

A hospital’s priority is decreasing liability & maximizing profits.

Hospitals are businesses, after all.

Though you may get an OB or nurse who wants to support you, at the end of the day keeping their job is more important to them than your birth plan. They have rules to follow if they don’t want to be reprimanded or let go.

So they WILL induce you to make their schedule easier.
They WILL try to speed up your labor to get you out of that room.
They WILL tell you that you “need” a c-section for lots of reasons that are lies.

If you don’t educate yourself about what you will face while giving birth in the hospital, you will be railroaded into choices you wouldn’t otherwise make. Having a plan is crucial. It can’t always save you, but it gives you a much better chance of coming out of your birth feeling strong, capable, and so dang proud of yourself.