Pregnancy & Birth Related Articles & Blog Posts

Did you know that much of your baby’s blood is outside of it’s body at the moment of birth? And, that in the United States and Europe, this blood will never make it to your child? You read that right, the umbilical cord in most births in 1st-world nations is cut before your baby has received [...]

 The first hour after birth is often referred to as the “Magical Hour.” A baby placed on her mother’s chest right after being born tends to show nine distinct stages of bonding including relaxation and rooting to suckle. Studies have shown that this beautiful early bonding correlates to babies who breastfeed more easily and often. [...]

When it comes to your skin, squeaky clean is not necessarily best. Although it’s easy to equate a good lather with good health, the well-being of our entire system is dependent upon the right balance between good bacteria and potentially harmful bacteria. Our bodies contain literally millions of healthy micro flora (otherwise known as bacteria) [...]

The most classic definition of ‘Skin-to-Skin Care’ (which is the same as ‘Kangaroo Care’) refers specifically to sessions of 60 minutes of continuous touch between baby and mom in the first moments, hours and days after baby is born. First, baby is placed on mother’s chest immediately after birth, where the cascade of normal hormonal [...]

May is Pregnancy Awareness Month — a month of events and media that celebrate this special time in a woman’s life. The activities this year are being kicked off with the 6th Annual Signature Pregnancy Awareness Month™ Event on Sunday May 5th from noon to 4 p.m. in Santa Monica. Dr. Greene is speaking at the kick-off [...]

Becoming a birth doula was one of the best and most rewarding decisions I’ve ever made. I cannot express with words the sheer joy I have experienced at each and every one of the 50+ births I’ve attended throughout my career as a doula. Although most of my “work” as a doula at the present [...]

When it comes to dads and doulas couples can have a myriad of concerns, but the truth is both play a very important role.  As a doula and mother who knows firsthand how important dads and doulas can be, I’d like to address some of the most common concerns – because dads and doulas make [...]

Many women and couples are now choosing to hire a professional birth doula to support them during their birthing journey. If you’re considering hiring a doula, here are some tips on where to find one, and what you should ask her before you seal the deal. If you are looking for a birth doula, I [...]

I’ve had a birth doula present at 3 of my four births, and at the birth where a doula was not present I had a 50+ hour labor, an epidural, a vacuum delivery, an episiotomy, and many regrets.  Sure, in the end a healthy mom and baby is what counts, but having a doula at [...]

When I tell someone I’m a birth doula, the number one question that follows is…what’s that? Thankfully, I’m delighted to answer this question!  I believe the more people who are informed about doulas, the better birth outcomes will be. Numerous studies have found that a doulas presence tends to result in shorter labors with fewer [...]