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.
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 ✨
Yellow milk, golden milk, creamy milk, green tinted milk, watery milk. All milk is different because all babies are different. Our bodies modify the vitamin and nutrient levels in breastmilk (and thus the color, consistency, and even quantity) according to the nutritional and immunological needs of our baby. Aren’t our bodies amazing?! There’s absolutely no need to compare. No matter the color, quantity, or duration, you’re doing great mama! #atldoula #liquidgold #atlantadoula #blackbreastfeeding #doulaofcolor 📷: @paulalopezdroguet
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
