Parenthood in Bloom

04/07/2026

The Austintown Fire Department has officially become home to the first baby box in Mahoning County.

04/07/2026

Sad to see the news about Kai 💔 Very active member in the western PA birth community and will surely be missed.

I hope everyone takes time to care for themselves after a loss like this. As a reminder, I have bereavement resources on my website for anyone that may benefit from them: https://www.parenthoodinbloom.com/bereavement

Celebrate the life of Khystren Hrubovcak- Mule and join others in sharing memories, stories, and condolences.

04/07/2026

04/03/2026

“Structured exercise programs during pregnancy, particularly resistance training and aerobic exercise performed in the same session, show promising effects on modulating inflammatory, metabolic, and immunologic biomarkers that may contribute to improved maternal-fetal health outcomes. However, current evidence is limited by methodological heterogeneity and lack of data from early pregnancy.”

Impact of exercise training during pregnancy on maternal biomarkers: a systematic review https://ow.ly/Bx8p50XRM5m

04/03/2026

Join Dr. Rebecca Dekker and Dr. Sara Ailshire to explore the evidence on induction at 41 weeks or later. Inductions for non-medical reasons have been on the rise over the past 30 years. You might have heard about the ARRIVE trial and the increase of inductions at 39 weeks. But what about induction after your “due date” has passed? In this podcast episode we discuss why providers might recommend, or at least open the discussion, to inducing for going past your due date, the difference between a medically indicated induction and an elective induction, and what the research says about outcomes when labor is induced at 41 and 42 weeks instead of waiting for labor to begin on its own

This podcast episode is a companion to the Evidence Based Birth® Signature Article on "Evidence on: Inducing at 41 Weeks or Later.” You can access all of the resources, scientific references, and a free 1-page handout at ebbirth.com/inducing41weeks.

Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of stillbirth. Please take care while listening.

🎧 Listen now to the Evidence Based Birth® Podcast:⁠
EBB 393 - Inducing at 41 Weeks or Later

ebbirth.com/393

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04/02/2026

03/28/2026

This week, we recognize not an individual, but an entire practice. The Midwife Center in Pittsburgh, PA is celebrating 43 years of service and a remarkable milestone: the safe birth of their 10,000th baby.
On March 19, that milestone was marked with the birth of Harvey Allen Lantz, a healthy baby boy born following a planned water birth. His arrival reflects the consistency and quality of care that has defined the center since its founding in 1982.
The Midwife Center’s model emphasizes relationship-based, patient-centered care. Midwives provide comprehensive services that extend beyond pregnancy and birth, including gynecologic care, mental health support, and attention to the social and environmental factors that influence health outcomes. This approach is associated with lower intervention rates and positive maternal and neonatal outcomes.
Over four decades, the impact of this work is evident not only in outcomes, but in continuity. Families who were once born at the center are now returning as parents, a reflection of trust built across generations. Join us in helping them celebrate this milestone!

03/24/2026

🚨 New Study: increasing breastfeeding rates to 90% could save 72,300 noncommunicable disease deaths globally per year.

✨️ Formula feeding does carry risks, which is why breastfeeding on a population level is a public health concern. Individual benefit vs risk is different for each mother baby dyad.

This study also found increasing breastfeeding to 90% could prevent 10 million cases of diabetes across the lifespan of the cohort.

Of the delayed NCDSs, most delayed deaths were from ischaemic heart disease (43%) and stroke (33%), with cancer accounting for 18%.

Study authors interpreted the data to mean: Scaling up exclusive breastfeeding coverage could lead to benefits in reducing NCDs, complementing its established benefits for child mortality and early childhood development.

Essentially, this study added to the importance of breastfeeding on a global population level. Breastfeeding absolutely saves lives.

This study, published in the Lancet, focused on low and middle income countries. What does this mean for people in wealthier countries? Breastfeeding benefits still exist wherever you live and reduce the risk of developing cancer, diabetes, etc. However, in a wealthier country, you may have access to additional preventative measures and care, and access to medical care if you become sick.

Wherever you live, breastfeeding is the biological norm following a pregnancy

At the population level, breastfeeding reduces risk and has significant benefit.

As parents, we make decisions on individual levels.

For simple math, let's say on a population level the risk of allergies is 15 in 100 in not breastfeeding infants but in breastfeeding infants it's 5 in 100. Breastfeeding does not mean there's a 0% chance of allergies and not breastfeeding doesn't mean a 100% chance of allergies. Simply, when we look at large groups, more formula fed infants have allergies compared to breastfed infants.

All this said, breastfeeding is not easy. Low rates are often associated with lack of support, early return to work, birth complications, etc.

What support did you wish you had?