Language matters. So often I hear people say "She has postpartum" or "I didn't have postpartum" when they are referring to postpartum depression. The postpartum period typically refers to the first 6 weeks after birth or pregnancy end. You can have postpartum hair loss, postpartum job interviews, or postpartum sex just as much as you can experience postpartum depression.
Starting from the upper left, this is an example of the changes that the cervix makes during labor. But there are no rulers involved—the cervix is “measured” during a cervical exam in which your healthcare provider feels the cervical position with their pointer and middle fingers. ✌🏾
✨NOTE: Consent should always be the first step of any cervical exam and you have the right to decline or delay exams during labor them as well.
Yep, discharge. Vaginal discharge is NORMAL, and is one of the most reliable signals of the status of your overall pelvic health and fertility. Think of discharge as being as necessary to the vagina as saliva is to your mouth. [SWIPE]
In general, odorless discharge in any variation of white means that things are just fine. The type of discharge is fairly predictable depending on where you are in your menstrual cycle.
NOTE:
(1) Folks on hormonal birth control may notice different variations in discharge, or none at all.
(2) Pregnant people usually notice a steady stream of heavier discharge due to increased hormone levels.
(3) If going commando is more your style, you can take note of any discharge present on the tissue used to wipe after you urinate.
If you place a newborn on mama’s belly or chest immediately after birth, they’ll instinctively pull themselves to the nipple. This is called the nipple or breast crawl. Baby mainly uses smell and what little eyesight they have to navigate—which is part of the reason that your nipple color darkens during pregnancy! It’s a bullseye for a hungry baby ✨
Growing up in Georgia, comprehensive sex education was virtually nonexistent in schools, but surprisingly, we did have a couple days of science-based sex education (with some conservative, Bible belt undertones, of course) when I was in middle school. We took a field trip to the Fernbank Science Center (I still love that place!), separated by sex, and learned about puberty, fallopian tubes, zygotes, and periods.
I’ll be honest though, the bulk of what I learned about sex came from sneaking and watching porn during my adolescent years. It wasn’t until fairly recently that I realized just how much those white male dominated narratives presented themselves in my own perceptions of what it meant to give, receive, and experience pleasure. Not to mention the lessons that I accepted around “ideal” body shape, size, and even body hair! The lies of capitalism and patriarchy can be pervasive AF, y’all.
I digress.
I’m grateful for spaces (and partners!) that have allowed me to explore, learn, challenge, and re-write narratives about sex, bodies, and pleasure. Please allow this to be that space for you.
Where did you first learn about sex? Did you have sex education in school? Did you learn about pleasure from that same source? I’d love to hear your experiences below!
📷: @theklabel + model: @alxgaliero
Have you ever wondered exactly what it means when your water breaks? Is it the water balloon-like gush that we see in the movies? 💦 It can be, but it tends to have more chill. (Spoiler: it usually feels like a slow, pee-like trickle).
What we refer to as "water breaking" is actually the tearing of the amniotic sac (the thin membrane that lines the uterus and keeps growing human + amniotic fluid safeley inside). The amniotic sac doesnt contain any nerve endings, so this isn't typically a painful experience.
You might be surpised to know that the breaking of the waters only begins first stage labor in 30% of pregnancies. In fact, no one has been able to pinpoint the exact reason that labor begins (my response: "because God said so, duh!”).
For the majority of people, the water breaking doesn’t happen until later in labor—the cinematic gush usually hapens with further cervix dialation and stronger contractions. This can be unassisted or assited via purposeful breaking of the sac by the birth attendant, the later being less common and should only occur with INFORMED CONSENT (enter: your trusted doula).
In rare cases, the sac doesn’t break at all and baby is born still inside the sac. This is called being born "en caul" and is considered an auspicious sign in many cultures—apparently you need to enter the world this way to be the Dalai Lama!
📷: @empoweredbirthproject
