What is HypnoBirthing? HypnoBirthing is more of a philosophy and approach to birth rather than any set method or technique. It centers around the belief that birth is an instinctive, natural, and normal process of the body that women can trust and surrender to rather than be afraid of and resist. HypnoBirthing teaches women to trust and embrace their body’s natural birthing instincts, to relax deeply so that their body can do what it’s designed to do, and to work with their…
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Pacifiers and Baby Sleep: Pros, Cons & When to Wean Many parents wonder: Should I introduce a pacifier? Will it become a bad habit? Will it affect my baby’s teeth? Does a pacifier help or hurt sleep? How will I ever take it away? As a birth doula and sleep consultant serving families in Boston and beyond, this is one of the most common questions I hear. The truth? Pacifiers can be incredibly helpful — when used intentionally. Let’s break it down….
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While some newborns take easily to the bottle, it may take a bit of effort to get others to accept the bottle. Ideally you wait until baby is at least 4 weeks old before introducing the bottle as this helps to ensure that your milk supply is well-established and that baby can transition easily between the bottle and the breast. Topics this article will cover: Tips for getting a breastfed baby to take a bottle How the manage bottle refusal Recommended bottles…
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Many parents find themselves in an unsustainable sleep situation due to lack of sleep from nighttime parenting. Unfortunately, there is no cry-free solution that yields effective, quick results (if there was, someone would be very, very wealthy!). No parent likes to hear their baby cry. It feels counter-intuitive to willingly allow your baby to cry and many parents worry that the crying involved in many sleep training methods will harm their baby. With buzzing social media feeds, endless google searches, and conflicting…
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The golden rule of writing an effective birth plan is to to include only non-routine preferences or those that are of great importance to you. This is your opportunity to get educated on your options, determine the path to a positive birth experience, and to communicate your wishes with your medical care team. Topics this article will cover: What to include in your birth plan Understanding your options for birth How to best communicate your preferences How to ensure your birth plan is…
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Sleep can still feel elusive during months two and three. While short naps and night wakings are developmentally normal at this stage, this is also a meaningful window to begin laying the groundwork for healthy, sustainable sleep habits. If your baby is between 6–12 weeks old, this guide will help you: Understand what’s normal for 2–3 month old sleep Prevent overtiredness Create an optimal sleep environment Begin gently encouraging independent settling Build a healthy sleep foundation for the months ahead If your…
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As a birth and baby worker, I often get asked about the best baby items to have on hand. Prior to having my third baby (as I write this she is 4 weeks old), I would often come up blank as my older children are 7 and 9 years old and so much has changed in the baby industry since then. Now that I am a mother to a newborn once again, I can pass along my recommendations for my top 15…
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If you’re wondering what’s normal for newborn sleep — and how to help your baby sleep better — you’re not alone. Newborns need a lot of sleep, but they don’t yet know the difference between day and night. In the early weeks, frequent waking, short naps, and unpredictable sleep patterns are completely normal. In this article, you’ll learn: What newborn sleep patterns look like How much sleep a newborn needs How to help your newborn sleep better How to gently establish day…
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When does teething impact sleep? While teething can occasionally disrupt sleep… it’s far less the cause of sleep a disturbance than most people think. For babies who follow an age-appropriate schedule, meet their daily sleep needs, and are able to put themselves to sleep, teething will likely go unnoticed or may cause a minor sleep disruption. We tend to see teething have a more dramatic impact for those children who are overtired and/or don’t know how to put themselves to sleep. Most…
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There is a magic in the dark silent hours of the night Somehow it is an honor to be one of the few awake The rest of the world slumbers as we witness the minutes become hours, the moon tracing across the sky Hands pulsate with vibrations of love Release. Relax. Open. Find the softness. Trust. Few words are spoken but they all brim with love We work to create the space for life to move in The key that only she…
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