Cassaundra Jah, midwife, advocate, consultant

The ninth student I’ve directly precepted outside of birth centers just passed the NARM exam! I’m so proud of her and each one of these amazing midwives!

Photos from Three Suns Birth's post

'You're a midwife!? How fun! You must get to snuggle babies ALL THE TIME!!!!'

We get some version of that👆comment a LOT! But the truth is as much as we LOVE to snuggle babies, very little of our jobs involve doing so. In fact, most of our job is stuff that you don't even see us doing. Lots of research and inventory and cleaning and documenting things to ensure that we are able to provide the highest level of perinatal care possible. And while those may not be the most glamorous parts of our jobs, we love what we do 💛💛💛

On a related note... the world could desperately use more midwives, so if you know of anyone... 😜

This one thing will set the tone for the rest of your pregnancy, birth and postpartum. Start your process by centering the person who should be at the center of it all - YOU! Whether you want midwifery care or obstetric care; whether you want a home birth or hospital birth; whether you want all the interventions or none at all, be clear on your vision and intentional about your alignment! 🌼

Disney princesses 💙💦💙

I'm doing some rebranding and focusing on new projects so am once again updating this page. Hoping to start putting up new content more consistently again soon!

Regram@midwiferywisdom Good enough for a Queen. Queen Elizabeth after her fourth homebirth.
…
Her Majesty was the first royal woman to have her husband accompany her at childbirth when she welcomed her 4th child Prince Edward with Prince Philip present.
…
"The Queen, by then aged 37, had asked him to be there; she'd been keenly reading women's magazines that stressed the importance of involving fathers in childbirth and had become fascinated by the idea. Thus Philip became the first royal father in modern history to witness the birth of his child.”
….
Like her mother, the Queen gave birth to her first child, Prince Charles, at home via caesarean, after a 30 hour labor, but went on to have 3 VBACs although with scopolamine.
…
Eventually Charles was born by a Caesarean section in a music room in Buckingham Palace which had been converted into a theatre. She was attended by Obstetricians Sir William Gilliatt and Sir John Peel, and also midwife Helen Rowe, who was thought to be present for all the births. C-sections were also less common in the general public at that time; in the 1950s only around 3% were c-section. It would have been of some concern that the Queen required one.
…

The midwife Helen Rowe was known to be present as letters written to her by the Queen were discovered after her death. There is an irony in this as, in 1970, Sir John Peel, the queen’s obstetrician, was lead author of the report “Domiciliary midwifery and maternity bed needs”, which recommended 100% of births should be in a hospital.
…
There have been considerable changes that have taken place in maternity services since the births of the Queen’s children. The accessibility of research and information is only one thing! The Queen, in all her experiences as a woman and mother in the role, has paved the way for royal births to be different and opened the door for many of her subjects to challenge the status quo at the time. The importance of looking back in history to see how we have got to where we are should not be overlooked and I challenge others to investigate history of our profession over the past 70 years.
From

Timeline photos

Scientists have discovered an odorless scent molecule called hexadecanal, or HEX, that is released by humans and impacts aggressive behavior. The HEX molecule is the most abundant molecule released on the newborn baby's head. The researchers found that this molecule reduced aggression in males (biologically important as infanticide is a relatively common event in the mammalian world) and increased aggression in females (key to infant protection). We have shared with parents that when they are skin to skin with their newborn they should remove the baby's hat to allow them to inhale the scent of their newborn as it elicits an entire range of activity in the parental brain. This is one more reason to take a deep sniff! (Mishor et al., 2022)

Source: Eva Mishor et al, Sniffing the human body volatile hexadecanal blocks aggression in men but triggers aggression in women, Science Advances (2021). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abg1530

Timeline photos

✨The uterus is considered a free floating organ, supported by 14 ligaments, nestled between the bladder & bowels. ✨It has the capacity to shift & move, to grow & shrink not only during pregnancy but also during each & every menstrual cycle. ✨ A non-menstruating uterus weighs about 4oz, but by the end of pregnancy these same ligaments must support an organ that now averages aprox 11lbs ✨The amount of strain incurred on the uterus can be likened to first degree musculoskeletal strain - with a recovery time taking much more than 6 weeks ✨ Healing the uterine ligaments is a primary reason why profound REST is so important during the fourth trimester 🛌 May we all live with strength & vitality & without prolapse ✊🏻

We love this stunning mural in Inverclyde, Scotland - what a great way to
🤱🏿🧜‍♀️ 🤱
The artist is Sam Bates (aka SMUG), the mural was created through a partnership between Inverclyde Health and Social Care, their infant feeding team, and funding from the Scottish government 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿
📷 Image via and , shared with permission.

[Image description: mural of a breastfeeding dyad painted on the entire gable end of a building. The mama is a mermaid, her long red hair swirls around her face. She looks down at her little mer-baby with a tender expression.]

Timeline photos

For the next couple of weeks of Black History Month we will be posting a "Black Midwives Through Time" series!

Our first post celebrates Elizabeth Freeman, also known as Mum Bett, who was an enslaved woman in 18th-century Massachusetts, born around 1744. While held as a slave, Elizabeth cleaned, cooked, and served in the home of a white Massachusetts landowner and judge. It's speculated that she may have overheard discussions among white men who gathered at the house to write the Sheffield Declaration, a document which proclaimed the right of “mankind in a state of nature" to be free, equal, and independent of one another—they were referring to freedom from British control. The Massachusetts Constitution, established several years later in 1780, proclaimed the same sentiments, yet said nothing of slavery.

One day, Elizabeth walked several miles to the home of Theodore Sedgwick, one of the authors of the Sheffield Declaration, who was also a lawyer, and asked him to represent her in a lawsuit for freedom. He agreed, they went to court, and Elizabeth won her freedom in 1781.

After the lawsuit, Elizabeth worked with Sedgwick as a paid housekeeper and governess and was also widely sought for her skills as a healer, nurse, and midwife. In her 60s, she moved onto her own property, where she lived with her family—farming and continuing to work as a midwife.

Photo: A statue of Elizabeth Freeman at the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C.

Sources and to learn more:
https://nmaahc.tumblr.com/post/163991306641/petitioning-for-freedom-elizabeth-freeman
https://www.npr.org/2020/02/27/809723362/in-the-1700s-an-enslaved-massachusetts-woman-sued-for-her-freedom-and-won
https://www.wamc.org/news/2022-02-10/berkshire-naacp-calls-on-community-to-include-black-voices-in-black-stories
https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/elizabeth-freeman

Photos from Boobz Ta Maternité's post

Photos from Uplift Lab at Oregon State University's post

Get $5 when you start investing today

There are very few companies that I recommend but Acorns is one of them. I have been investing with them since 2016 and this "drip" investment system really works for me and my family! Use my referral and we both win!

https://share.acorns.com/empoweredmidwife

Get $5 when you start investing today Start investing with Acorns today! Get $5 when you use my invite link

No one ever warned her -

About how much she'd miss.
While doing the work that she loves.

And no one ever told her,

How hard it might feel,
Putting her dreams on pause,
To nurture her world in her lap.

And no one ever mentioned,

That loving her baby,
Might not always equal
'Loving every moment' of motherhood.

And no one ever admitted,

That mothers cry too.
When their world feels so new,
Just like their baby's does.

And because nobody told her,

She thought she couldn't say it.

So she instead spoke her secrets,
In every moment she was alone, but not.

In the quiet hours, she whispered,

Before this, I was someone else, and I miss her so very much.

In the lonely moments, she spoke,

I don't want to be anywhere else, but it's hard to not have a minute alone.

In the moments when everything else was on pause, she shared

Someday I'll get back to those other things I love; I can't wait to show you who else I am.

And in the moments when she was missing, she softly assured,

I love you so much, and though this is so very hard, I'll never regret a minute with you.

And as she told her story to her baby -

The one she thought she couldn't say,
She began to understand the truth about motherhood. The one that no one had told her:

That it is a complicated but lovely journey, full of moments of missing, but lifetimes of love. Where there is boundless happiness, but also some sorrow. And that it is always, always okay to feel both.

And she realized that there was nothing wrong with her story - Because although she hadn't heard one like it before, it was honest. And it was real.
And she was free, and she was happy.

And her baby was happy, too.
To be loved by a mother who had so much to share. But most of all, love.💜
| Words Fourth Trimester Collective Image |



💜 Know you are not alone and

www.cdc.gov

www.cdc.gov

Some truly practical considerations for parents when a baby is on the way

CDC Data: Home Births Surged Last Year Amid the Pandemic

CDC Data: Home Births Surged Last Year Amid the Pandemic The number of home births rose by nearly 20% in 2020 as the U.S. grappled with COVID-19.

graphic: MilkWorks

True.

Some friends and I were talking about this the other day and I had wanted to share it and then this comic came across my feed just now.

I didn't "bond" immediately with my first baby. I knew logically that I loved her and would do anything for her, but I never felt that MOMENT that new moms feel.

That's okay! We have a great relationship today, nineteen years later! ❤️

Some parents have traumatic births and that can make bonding hard. In my case, I think it's something to do with the way my neurodivergent brain handles object permanence (like, no exaggeration, after my second child was born I literally said "oh! A baby!" Lol like I didn't know for nine months that I was expecting one).

Regardless of what contributes to your personal experience- you are not a bad parent for not bonding immediately. Meeting a new human is a LOT to take in. ❤️❤️❤️

Also some babies just look weird 🤣🤣🤣 (those are my favorite babies ftr ❤️)

Image credit Loryn Brantz Books and Illustration

(When I use my own language I do my best to use inclusive language to help trans dads or enby parents know they are welcomed and supported here. ❤️ I did not create this image, however, and do not feel comfortable changing someone else's art. Please do not go *attack* the artist! I know my folx won't, but gotta say it anyway)

Image shows cartoon drawing of two new parents holding newborns. The first looks happy and says "I now know the feeling of true love" and the other says "nice to meet you ...small alien raisin". Above the two images it says "both reactions to motherhood [Parenthood] are normal"

AAP just quietly changed breast milk storage guidelines and moms everywhere are rejoicing

AAP just quietly changed breast milk storage guidelines and moms everywhere are rejoicing The new recommendations were first noticed on Reddit.

Nodded my whole way through this. 😊 😂

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently announced that vaccinated people do not have to wear a mask indoors or outdoors, in most cases. Here is what parents need to know about how these guidelines impact children who are not yet vaccinated.

As a woman who wears her hair short and who over the years has had to “audition” several barbers (and barber shops) before committing, I appreciate this photo and this barber’s caption. ..because the brothas be too 💁🏽‍♂️


Grooming the Nurturers ⁣
⁣
( Back Story ) ⁣
⁣
Nicolette came in for a haircut and her husband sat in the lounge with their baby. He was crying a lot and I asked his mother what is wrong. She replied that he was hungry and needed to be breastfed. ⁣
⁣
I had already completed the haircut and was about to add the lines. I assured her that it was okay to take care of her son. She smiled and her husband laughed as he carried him into the room. ⁣
⁣
This photo addresses two things that women are constantly criticized for, cutting their hair off and breastfeeding. ⁣
⁣
It is time that we embrace what is beautiful and natural. ⁣Women should be able to breastfeed without fear. ⁣
**** POSITIVE COMMENTS ONLY ****⁣

⁣⁣
⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣

Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?

Facinating read, what do you think? I found the data on first s*x being later interesting. (Coorelation isn't causation) http://ow.ly/JrLH30rDWVr

Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation? More comfortable online than out partying, post-Millennials are safer, physically, than adolescents have ever been. But they’re on the brink of a mental-health crisis.

Your Brain Doesn't Contain Memories. It Is Memories

How our brain makes memories. The video at the end of the article is fun to watch, too. http://ow.ly/U0Po30rDWVq

Your Brain Doesn't Contain Memories. It Is Memories Memories begin when your neurons respond to outside stimuli—and compound to rewire your brain.

Can Mindfulness Help You Quit Smoking?

Mindfulness to quit smoking? http://ow.ly/kGUy30rDWVp

Can Mindfulness Help You Quit Smoking? How mindfulness can help quiet ni****ne cravings.

What Is Positive Psychology, and What Is It Not?

Positive psychology is the scientific study of what makes life most worth living. http://ow.ly/t0TW30rDWVo

What Is Positive Psychology, and What Is It Not? Positive psychology studies what makes life most worth living.

10 Research-Based Truths About People in Love

What about love? http://ow.ly/Yx3k30rDWVn

10 Research-Based Truths About People in Love What we've learned so far about love and the brain.

Opinion | Why intersectionality can’t wait

Understanding Intersectionality http://ow.ly/mWRw30rDWVm

Opinion | Why intersectionality can’t wait Three decades after putting a name to the concept, there is still much work to be done.

The Parenting Secret That Is Destroying Us

We have to stop hiding. Our lives depend on it. http://ow.ly/q3Ro30rDWVl

The Parenting Secret That Is Destroying Us We need to start talking about it openly.

Something New For Baby To Chew On: Rocket Science And Quantum Physics

Baby books for geniuses. http://ow.ly/wdzy30rDWVk

Something New For Baby To Chew On: Rocket Science And Quantum Physics Chris Ferrie's board books introduce subjects like rocket science, quantum physics and general relativity to toddlers and babies. What can parents do to make the concepts resonate?