Major Associations in health around the world state the importance of delayed cord clamping after birth (even cesarean section and preterm labor) but in practice how many doctors or midwives are following through with this advice?   To understand delayed cord clamping, we need to understand the function of the placenta and the umbilical cord to […]

I recently learned about Susun Weed’s Six Steps of Healing from Breast Cancer? Breast Health! The Wise Woman Way. When I am faced with health challenges, either my own or someone I am caring for, I sometimes wonder, “Have I tried everything?” This little list helps me to consciously think through each phase of options […]

Life is full of experiences that create our unique personal perspective. Each human’s perspective is the lens in which they focus their observations through. A woman’s life journey is complex, expansive and full of opportunities for growth. This applies during pregnancy, postpartum, and into motherhood, probably more than any other time in her life. Although […]

Birth seen on TV is most people’s first glimpse of what it could be like.  I remember the TV show Friends. Rachel, a first time Mom is on a hospital bed, blue gowns, covers, masks, her knees are pushed up to her armpits.  The Dr and nurses commanded her to PUSH!  Rachel’s face is red […]

This time, this short, crazy-ass time, has been life changing. Part of what this journey has been for me is so much more than learning the art and science of midwifery. It has been a journey of growth and capacity. Like holy crap. The capacity I have now is far greater than when I began. […]

by Bridget Ballenger Meet Carmen Southall-Warmhoff, a force for good in her birth community.  She remembers shortly after high school wanting to be involved in delivering babies but wasn’t interested in going to medical school and becoming an obstetrician.  In her heart, she knew there must be a different way but wasn’t yet sure what […]

Guest post by IBMS student Savanna Barcus Physiological Cord Clamping As our 17-year-old moved out of the home this very week, my husband reassured me that it was time to cut the cord.  I lamented that we cut the cord a long time ago, but it was probably too soon even then!  In researching cord […]

Guest post by IBMS student Kristen Rud The use of cannabis as medicine is becoming more and more accepted as common practice in Western culture, after decades of judgment and criminalization. While more research is developing on the pros and cons of medicinal cannabis use, it is still considered a teratogen during pregnancy. A teratogen […]

a guest post from IBMS student Samantha HypesI’m Samantha Hypes. I’m a true redhead, quarter Dutch,  quarter french, some scottish/irish in there, a Leo sun, Gemini moon, born in the Appalachian mountains and raised in NC. We have been living in my husband’s grandfather’s old house in Frankfort KY for the past 6 years. I […]