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Baby-Friendly Initiative at Heart of Lancaster

 A Gentle Caesarian at Heart of Lancaster Using Baby Friendly Techniques       If you have ever given birth at Heart of Lancaster in Lititz, PA, you won't be surprised to learn that they are taking steps to become an officially baby friendly facility. In fact, you may have thought they already had this certification, since the care you received there demonstrated all 10-steps of a baby-friendly organization. This is applies to vaginal births as well as cesarean births. Baby-Friendly USA recognizes through...Read More

Finding (and loving) yourself again after baby

Remember stopping for gas and running into the store for a quick snack? Oh, to go back to that day when buying a pint of ice cream was as simple as unbuckling your seatbelt and walking into the store with your arms swaying by your side. How about when your clothes used to fit you? You could wear stuff made out of fancy materials like satin and glittery bits without getting little snot snail trails across them within ten minutes....Read More

Reflections of a Mother of 3

The house is quiet. I have spent too much time on FaceBook and checking my emails. I have lost track of where the kids are. They must be up to no good. I get up and slowly check the house. Where could they be? Are they hiding? Are they fighting? As I walk upstairs I can hear two quiet voices coming from one of the bedrooms, whispering back and forth so as to not alert an adult to their whereabouts....Read More

The Great Date Debate: Do Dates Really Help You Go Into Labor?

Maybe you have seen the study posted on social media -- maybe a friend swore to you it worked -- but does eating dates in the last month of pregnancy really help you go into labor? What Science says: According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information ....... maybe ?!?!? Basically they studies 114 women, 69 of whom ate 6 dates each day for 4 weeks leading up to their "due date." According to the study, the women who ate...Read More

The Discount Doula Trap: How It Could End Up Costing You More Than You Think

Times are tough for many these days. Do a google search for ways to cut monthly spending, and there is a whole list of suggestions from cutting back on your daily coffee to refinancing your home. Many times, choosing the generic brand or lower priced item, will in fact save you money without lowering the quality of the product. Doula care is NOT one of these items. There are essentially two types of doulas: Professional doulas and hobby doulas. For...Read More

You’re Going To Eat Your WHAT ?!?

There has been a lot of buzz lately about placenta encapsulation. With big name stars like January Jones, Alicia Silverstone, and even Kim Kardashian speaking out about consuming their placentas, it's no wonder. Placentophagy, the act of eating your placenta, can be dated back to the 1500's when the Chinese would mix dried placenta with breast milk and then drink it to cure "Ch’i exhaustion." (Interesting side note: Ch'i exhaustion is considered a symptom of anaemia.) Eating your placenta has...Read More

A Breech Home Birth

Being a doula means that every once in a while I am privy to an amazing birth experience. This is one of those experiences that will stay with me for a life time. I was originally contacted by Nanette to be her birth doula but she decided to have her friend (an aspiring doula) by her side. She contacted me again right before her due date asking if I would like to try my hand at photography. It was then...Read More

Growing Pains of a Doula

  I was led to this doula path through my own birthing journey. I struggled with memories of a traumatic birth. I then had an incredibly healing birth with the help of a doula. I wanted everyone to have what I had: an in touch with myself, transforming, NATURAL birth. I believed that the ONLY way to have a great birth was to have my version of birth. Boy was I wrong, and it was a hard lesson to learn....Read More

5 Easy Natural Baby Recipes You Can Make Yourself

5 Easy Natural Baby Recipes You Can Make Yourself If you are like me, then you try to use the most natural products you can find on your baby. Have you looked at the ingredients list of some of that stuff? Even some of the "All Natural" products are chock full of harmful chemicals and additives. So how can you be sure that only the very best ingredients are touching that adorable tush? Make your own! It is easier than...Read More

How To Get Your Insurance To Cover Your Breast Pump

How To Get Your Insurance To Cover Your Breast Pump No matter what your opinion is about President Obama, I think we can all agree that the affordable care act (ACA) has some great advantages for women. There are eight additional women's preventative services that are now covered in all new insurance policies and most established policies. These include well woman visits, Gestational Diabetes Screening, HPV screening, STD counseling, HIV screening and counseling, Contraception and contraceptive counseling, Domestic violence screening and counseling,...Read More