Parenthood in Bloom

02/22/2026

🥴

02/22/2026

Infertility ruined my ability to see people as “ordinary.”

Now when I’m in a grocery store, at church, at a stoplight… I look around and think:

Every single one of these people is statistically impossible.

Do you understand how much had to go right for you to exist?

You are a walking, breathing, defiant miracle.

And if you ever start to believe your life is small or insignificant…

I need you to remember:

The odds of you being here are astronomical.

You were created and wanted into existence.
On purpose, for a purpose. 🤎

02/22/2026

"Midwifery models of care are models of care in which the main care providers for women and newborns, starting from pre-pregnancy and continuing all the way through the postnatal period, are educated, licensed, regulated midwives who autonomously provide and coordinate respectful, high- quality care across their full scope of practice, using an approach that is aligned with the midwifery philosophy of care, which:

i. promotes a person-centred approach to care;
ii. values the woman–midwife relationship and partnership;
iii. optimizes physiological, biological, psychological, social and cultural processes; and iv. uses interventions only when indicated.
In midwifery models of care, midwives provide integrated care, addressing the needs of each individual woman and newborn, within functional and enabling health systems, equipped with necessary resources and streamlined consultation and referral processes. They collaborate within networks of care as part of interdisciplinary teams characterized by equality, trust and respect. This approach guarantees that every woman and newborn receives personalized care, tailored to their health needs.

Midwifery models of care are adaptable to all levels of care and contexts, including home-, community- and hospital-based settings; the public and private sectors and public–private partnerships; resource-constrained environments; and humanitarian and crisis settings. This ensures wide accessibility, equity and relevance across different cultural contexts for women, newborns, partners, families and communities."

Read More: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240098268

02/21/2026

02/18/2026

When midwives are by women's side through pregnancy and birth, health outcomes improve & women are happier with their care. They are more likely to have:

👩🏻 Positive birth experiences
💕 More natural births
✂️ Fewer medical interventions

To improve the health of mums & babies, WHO urges countries to invest in lifesaving midwifery models of care.

bit.ly/4kShgEQ

02/18/2026

A big thanks to NPR for featuring an article about a promising candidate for a preeclampsia therapeutic, in development by one of our corporate partners, DiaMedica Therapeutics. While the research is still in early testing, researchers believe the possibilities are promising:

"They were testing a drug for certain types of stroke called DM199 that functioned in a way they thought might also work for preeclampsia. [Dr. Catherine] Cluver was skeptical at first, but on closer inspection, she and her colleagues thought maybe it was worth trying out. "It could potentially work because it's ticking all the boxes of what we would want," she says.

So they began a trial at the hospital for mothers with dangerously high blood pressure and who were scheduled to deliver their babies early. When the 16th patient received the next highest dose, however, 'we literally just opened up this IV infusion and then her blood pressure stabilized,' recalls Cluver. 'We suddenly saw these sky-high blood pressures coming down and we were like, 'We don't believe this. This is impossible!'

'That's actually when the real excitement started,' says Thake. 'Like jumping up and down. I [sent] a gazillion emojis celebrating the blood pressure going down.' And it stayed down. The same was true for subsequent patients with the same or incrementally higher doses.

[. . .] Cluver and her colleagues are hopeful that this might be the first pharmaceutical treatment for preeclampsia."

Read more: https://www.npr.org/2026/02/14/nx-s1-5708744/preeclampsia-pregnancy-complication-treatment

02/16/2026

02/12/2026

You can love your baby and still grieve the birth.

Those two things are not opposites.

They can live in the same body.

Within the same heart.

And in the same breath.

You can look at your child and feel overwhelming gratitude and still feel your chest tighten when you remember the operating room.

You can adore the life that came from your body…
and still mourn how your body was treated.

You can be thankful your baby is here and still feel the ache of how it happened.

Gratitude does not erase grief.

And grief does not cancel love.

So many parents silence themselves because they think, “If my baby is healthy, I shouldn’t feel sad.”

“If we’re both alive, I shouldn’t complain.”

“At least everything turned out okay.”

But your nervous system doesn’t process “at least.”

It processes the fear.

The urgency and restraint.

The bright lights, hands inside your body, voices you didn’t recognize and moments you didn’t consent to.

You can cherish your child and still replay the moment you felt powerless.

You can celebrate their birthday and still feel your body tense on that day.

That isn’t betrayal.

It doesn’t mean you dont love your baby.

It’s integration trying to happen.

And grieving your birth does not mean you blame your baby.

Your baby is not the trauma.

The circumstances can be.

But your baby?

Your baby is love.

There is space for “I would do anything for you.”
and also, “I wish it had been different.”

You are not ungrateful or dramatic.

You are a parent whose body went through something profound.

Sometimes healing doesn’t happen quickly.

Sometimes it happens 6 years later.

Sometimes never to be honest.

Sometimes it resurfaces on birthdays.

Sometimes when you see a surgical light.

Sometimes when you finally feel safe enough to process it.

You can love your baby fiercely and still honor the part of you that needed something gentler.

Both deserve a voice.

-Love,
Flor Cruz
Badassmotherbirther

𝐅𝐋𝐎𝐑 𝐂𝐑𝐔𝐙 / 𝐁𝐀𝐃𝐀𝐒𝐒𝐌𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐁𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑 ©

02/08/2026

A 2025 study published in AJOG adds powerful, up-to-date data showing associations between doula care and improved maternal and newborn outcomes.

Key Maternal Outcomes:

More vaginal births after cesarean (VBAC): For every 100 patients who received doula care, there were 15 to 34 additional VBACs compared with those without doula care.

Higher postpartum follow-up attendance: 5 to 6 more per 100 received postpartum office visits.

Key Neonatal / Infant Outcomes

Increased exclusive breastfeeding rates: Babies whose families had doula support were more likely to breastfeed exclusively.

Fewer preterm births (and early preterm births): Doula-supported births showed a reduction in preterm birth rates.

In short, the study links doula care with improvements in birth outcomes — across birth mode (more VBACs), infant health (less prematurity), and early infant care (breastfeeding, postpartum follow-up).

Read more: https://internationaldoulainstitute.com/2025/11/evidence-for-doulas-new-ajog-study-finds-doulas-improve-outcomes/

02/06/2026

A new lactation pod is now open inside the children's department at the Warren Library, providing a safe, private space for families. The pod allows parents to nurse, pump, or tend to a baby’s needs in comfort and privacy while at the library. The space also provides a quiet area for caregivers whose children may become overstimulated and need a calm environment for a brief sensory break before returning to explore and play.

The project was made possible by a community grant from the Warren Kiwanis Club and by a donation from the Warren Library Association.

02/02/2026

Master the mindset and comfort measures for a natural hospital birth!