Tori's Blog
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Sleep and Childbirth
Wednesday, January 7th, 2009
It isn’t any surprise that I don’t sleep much. Years ago, when I was seriously deciding about whether to become and OB/GYN or a Nurse-Midwife, my biggest concern was sleep. My golden sleep and whether or not I was going to get enough of it. I was so concerned with having to be awake at night that I wasn’t sure I could do any kind of work that potentially involved my needing to be awake and/or functioning during non-daylight hours.... -
Bristol Palin Gives Birth
Monday, December 29th, 2008
There was a very small piece in People magazine this week announcing that Bristol Palin, the 18-year-old daughter of Sarah Palin had given birth to a boy. The Palin’s have expressed that the birth is a private family matter and rightly so. I wouldn’t even talk about it except that peripherally, I became a bit involved.Shortly after it was announced that Bristol was pregnant I wrote an article discussing the serious issue of teen pregnancy and how family matters can...
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A Laughing Kind of Labor
Friday, December 19th, 2008
I had such a great day today. I was with a family having their second baby and they were especially excited and happy. Labor, of course isn’t generally a time of laughter but this mom was so astounded that she was in labor (she was a couple of weeks early) and so surprised at how quickly it was happening that between each contraction she laughed and kept saying “I can’t believe it”.The best part was that they didn’t know whether...
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Morning, Noon and Night Sickness
Friday, December 12th, 2008I had a little bout of the stomach flu yesterday and during one of the really unpleasant nausea waves I realized I had my blog subject for today.
I couldn’t help thinking about my own experience of it with Alexander. For people who have never experienced motion sickness or “morning” sickness (also called hyperemesis), the ability to understand the misery of it is virtually impossible. I recently read an article written by a Washington Post journalist about her own experience with severe...
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December Babies
Friday, December 12th, 2008
It is cold today. I realize that December is cold in lots of places, but here in San Francisco it is usually not this cold so early in the year. This morning it is 39 degrees and there is a slight frost on all the fallen leaves.This is a special time of year for me. Not so much because of the holidays but because my own baby (who will be turning eight—yikes!) was born on December 19th. It was 2000...
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The Art of Blogging
Monday, December 1st, 2008Funny thing it is to sit down and write. I am now officially a blogger. I actually write all the time but now I also “blog”. And blogging is different than writing. Long before it was popular, I “blogged” weekly on Stork Site only it wasn’t yet called “blogging”. Now that I have an actual “blog” I recently developed “blogger’s block”. Ok—I’ll stop with that…
The point is; that although I have much to say about any number of topics, the...
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Pregnancy Fitness
Tuesday, November 25th, 2008There are so many great reasons to exercise. It helps all of us to feel better and to be healthier whether we are pregnant or not. During pregnancy, however, regular exercise and being fit can help decrease the incidence of gestational diabetes, help you to develop more stamina for labor and experience less post partum depression.
For those women who are not physically active I suggest that you begin a loose regimen of daily walks, stretching or prenatal yoga. Walking tend...
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Childbirth Preparation Classes
Sunday, November 16th, 2008Of all the classes, the most important for first-time parents is a class on preparing for labor and birth. Although it can be helpful to read books and watch a video or two on birth, books and videos don’t provide enough information to help you fully understand labor or learn effective coping skills. Taking a class will help you learn as much as you can about your new adventure (never forget that this is a wonderful adventure!).
There are many benefits to...
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Prenatal Classes
Thursday, November 13th, 2008As school is about to begin for kids all across the country I thought we would spend this week talking about all the possible classes that can prepare you for the new adventure of bringing home a new baby (or two). During your sixth month is a good time to sign up for classes.
Before the mid-twentieth century, the most help a woman could hope for in preparing for birth was some wise advice from her mother, sister, or friend. Fathers...
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Take A Tour!
Monday, November 10th, 2008If you are taking your prenatal class at the hospital where you will be giving birth, the class may include a tour. Some hospitals offer separate tours. In either case, a tour is an important part of your preparation for birth. It is comforting and helpful to see where you will be having your baby, and to ask questions of the staff.
