Andaluz client Tyra shares the empowering, fearless story of second birth. Below are Tyra’s words: Friday morning around 3am I woke up to minor contractions but enough to wake me up. These continued until about 7amish but I was definitely able to sleep and get all the rest I needed. We finally got up for the day around 7:40ish and I had told Riley that I had had contractions but they had stopped. (This had been happening like the last 2-3 days so that was a normal conversation we had). Around 8:40-9:00am they started back up, so what did Riley and I decide to do? Go to Costco of course. In m ..read more

Many people chose to have their maternity care under the guidance of midwives because they love the midwifery model of care. The midwifery model is known for it’s slower pace and personal touch. Midwives are hands-on, and favor avoiding unnecessary interventions. Midwives believe in building a partnership with their clients through conversation and informed choice decision making. Midwives respect bodily autonomy and are gentle and respectful with their touch, always asking consent. Did you know that the the midwifery model of care can be utilized for more than just prenatal and birth ca ..read more

Bringing home a new baby involves a lot of on-the-job training. Learning how your baby likes to be soothed, learning how to build new family routines, learning how to breastfeed, learning how to sleep with a surprisingly noisy new roommate - the list could go on and on! New parents have an amazing ability to learn and adapt to their baby’s growing needs, and adding the skill of infant massage can bring many benefits to your parenting toolkit. Parents who practice infant massage report better sleep for the entire family, feeling their babies are more content overall, and fewer spells of cryi ..read more

Do you love stats? We’ve got some data for you! 2023 was a great year at Andaluz, and we can’t wait to see what 2024 has in store! There were 101 babies born at our Portland location! 50 males and 51 females took their first breaths under our roof. Our vaginal birth rate was 96.52%, meaning only 3.48% of our clients needed a surgical birth, even after a hospital transfer. Our transfer rate during labor continues to be low, and in line with the birth center model standard of care. Transfers are never ideal, but they mean that our systems of ensuring safety for our clients is working! The ..read more

Are you curious about the way that acupuncture can contribute to whole body health during pregnancy and the postpartum period? We have a guest post written by local Licensed Acupuncturist in Oregon Alyssa Schaffer. Nurturing the Journey: Acupuncture and East Asian Medicine in Pregnancy and Postpartum by Alyssa Schaffer Pregnancy is a journey filled with countless milestones, each marked by its own set of unique challenges and joys. From the early days of conceiving to the postpartum period, this transformative experience can be a whirlwind of emotions and physical changes. Alongside modern ..read more

The CDC has recently released new guidelines to help protect infants against RSV this winter, including encouraging the RSV vaccine during pregnancy. Andaluz midwives support informed choice and medical freedom, and are also committed to presenting new guidelines as they emerge so you can make the choice that is right for you. What is RSV? RSV is short for respiratory syncytial virus. For adults and older children, this virus usually presents as a cold with mild symptoms like runny nose, sore throat, and cough. Immunity to RSV grows with exposure, so new babies have not yet had a chanc ..read more

Maybe you’ve been trying for a while, or maybe it came as a complete surprise — but here you are, staring at a positive pregnancy test. What do you do next? Establishing Care in Early Pregnancy At Andaluz Waterbirth Center, we are able to support clients from that first positive pregnancy test onward! At-home urine test are highly accurate when they return a positive result. They are designed to detect HCG (human chorionic gonadotropin), a hormone that is only created when a fertilized egg has implanted to the uterus. HCG rises rapidly in early pregnancy and can be easily detected in urine ..read more

After a baby comes out of your body, it can feel scary to think about starting up your sex life again. You might worry if it will feel the same, both to you and your partner. You might worry about turning off the “parent” part of your brain temporarily and allowing the “lover” part to turn back on. You might be concerned about pain and discomfort. Our midwife Megan Coppock has shared practical tips for easing back into your love life after having a baby. Photo by Natalie Broders Sex After Baby by Megan Coppock, CPM, LDM Photo by Natalie Broders Let’s talk about sex baby…. I mean let’s talk ..read more

When your goal is an unmedicated birth, your mindset in labor is pivotal. There is often a lot of focus on preparing for birth physically - building strength, increasing flexibility, practicing positions - and sometimes mental preparation can be neglected. Birth is mental challenge as much as a physical challenge, so to help you prepare for the task ahead, our Director of Midwifery, Carrie Duncan, has shared her tips for how to mentally prepare for birth. Photo by Natalie Broders 10 Ways to Mentally Prepare for Labor Written by Carrie Duncan, CPM, LDM Photo from Etsy Take a good childbi ..read more

Waves. Surges. Contractions. These are all words to describe the work your uterus does during the childbirth process. For those who have never given birth before, there is often a lot of curiosity about the sensations of labor. These sensations are subjective and can be hard to describe, but by understanding the structure and mechanisms of the uterus and by asking people who have experience unmedicated childbirth what they felt, we can start to arrive at a consensus. “There is no other organ quite like the uterus. If men had such an organ they would brag about it. So should we” ―Ina May Gask ..read more