Transitions: OB/GYN Physician Turned Homebirth Midwife Dr. Elizabeth Ross, Ob/Gyn, who had her second homebirth with Mother to Mother Midwifery and later worked with them as a homebirth practicing OB/GYN in 2012, has decided to pursue her licensure as a midwife. In this interview, CNM Brooke Ray talks to Dr. Elizabeth Ross about her choice to become a homebirth midwife, and how her previous career as an OB/GYN might inform her training and even her new practice. Brooke: Why did you become a physician? Elizabeth: As the daughter of a family practice physician, I really had no awareness or expo ..read more

The Covid-19 Vaccine is a Personal Choice for Pregnant Women 20,000 pregnant women have already been vaccinated against COVID-19 in spite of the lack of clinical data on safety.  Since pregnant women were not invited to participate in the clinical trials for the new vaccines, we don’t have information yet on possible side effects. Pregnant women are more vulnerable to Covid-19 disease However, we do have data on the serious risk the Covid 19 virus can pose to pregnant women if they are infected. Pregnant women, particularly Black and Latina women, have a higher chance of facing the re ..read more

If we are serious about ensuring that Black women thrive before, during, and after childbirth, we must do more to eliminate bias and discrimination in health care and address both clinical and non-clinical needs of African-American patients. The Listening to Mothers in California survey, a comprehensive report on the pre and postnatal experiences of childbearing women, exposes the ways that the health care system is falling short for all women, but especially for pregnant and parenting Black women. Healthy Start , an international health organization right here in our city,  is commi ..read more

… by Sandy Starkey | June 6, 2020 How do we, as pregnant women, find our way to homebirth midwives? Each of us has her own unique story, yet many of them overlap I suspect. In my case, when I was pregnant with my third child, I learned that my obstetrician, a beloved family friend who had delivered my first two babies, was retiring. “Congratulations!” he said heartily, upon hearing my news. “I am going to give you the name of another Doctor I know, Doctor P. You have such easy births; I know you’ll be just fine with him.” I was happy for my old Doctor; he deserved to retire. He had been delive ..read more

I recently bought this virtual Baby Sign Class for $30 for my baby grandson. It’s really good. The videos are all simple and practical for teaching sign language to infants. The bundle of videos teaches 50 simple signs, such as “more”, “milk”,  “all done”, “water”, “again”, etc.  There are also two songs, including, “The Itsy Bitsy Spider”. My grandbaby’s older foster siblings are also excited to learn signing.  Baby signs are from American Sign Language, so it’s valuable for the entire family to start to learn another language together. Here is the link to the class I bought ..read more

Telemedicine and Virtual Prenatal Care appointments are the way to stay and “shelter in place” nowadays. Check out this new option for our homebirth clients at Mother to Mother Midwifery during the Corona Virus Pandemic. Don’t worry!  These appointments are actually enjoyable and relaxing. You don’t have to drag the kids anywhere, or get gas in your car, or fight traffic.  Just make yourself a nice cup of  tea (we recommend raspberry leaf tea during pregnancy) and get ready to relax with us. An upside to the Corona Pandemic Don’t  be surprised if Telemedicine and Virtual P ..read more

Homebirths are in the spotlight as the safe alternative to hospital birth during the global pandemic. Pregnant women who are due to give birth in the next couple months are reconsidering their plans to deliver in the hospital. To avoid crowds and exposure to the Novel Corona Virus, more women are choosing homebirth. We midwives at Mother to Mother Midwifery are experiencing an increase in calls from women requesting homebirth. Pregnant women express feeling afraid to bring a new baby into the world in the same hospital where patients are fighting for their lives against the Corona Virus. Havin ..read more

Poke into any parenting group, and you quickly learn that there are two main approaches to babyproofing your house: You can make yourself a little crazy (and go broke; did you know baby-proofing can cost $2400?!) by considering every eventuality, and then purchasing a product to prevent against it; or, you can take a more relaxed tactic, outfit your home with basic baby-proofing supplies, and then let your child’s behavior dictate what else you’ll need. I (and my wallet) am in the second camp. There are so many babyproofing products on the market but, now that I’ve done this dance for a while ..read more

As a mom-to-be, it’s important to not stress out over small things or hypothetical situations. And regardless of whether you planned on single motherhood, you’ll eventually question how you’ll be able to do it on your own — and that’s just fine. Questioning yourself is healthy as long as you don’t let it stop you from getting things handled. Let the fact that one in five children live with a single mother comfort you in your times of doubt. Single mothers abound, and they’re doing a fine job despite the various societal and financial pressures they face each day. Take on these few tasks and le ..read more

Amanda Tavoularis DDS, Dentably Magazine dramanda@dentably.org – www.emergencydentistsusa.com/dentably      Becoming pregnant is a special time in a couple’s life, yet it can be overwhelming to be overloaded with information from friends and family members. When it comes to dental care during pregnancy, there are a lot of myths and it can be hard to know which information you should follow. As a dentist who’s been practicing for more than 20 years, it’s been my goal to help educate expecting mothers on dental health and debunk some common myt ..read more