Educational Articles and News / health

Expectant parents may be unprepared for their first moments with their new baby, or they don't give it much thought in advance. Educators and healthcare providers play an important role in informing parents about what to expect at birth and supporting them at this pivotal moment.

Education is often needed to address lack of knowledge, misinformation and misconceptions about newborn care topics, and skin-to-skin contact is no exception. Use your listening skills as an educator to identify your client's current understanding of skin-to-skin contact. Then, help them understand the benefits and the do's and don'ts of this practice. Education helps calm fears and encourages this beneficial practice in new families. 

One of the most pressing questions new moms have about breastfeeding is whether their baby is getting enough milk. After all, unlike bottle feeding, you can’t measure how much milk is making its way into your baby’s tummy. Not knowing can be stressful, especially when you are just starting out to breastfeed.

Thankfully, there are a few key signs that can help you know your baby is getting enough milk. Here are the top three:

We are creatures of habit and it is easy to get stuck in a routine, teaching the same things in the same way. This new blog series for educators explores some ideas to help you branch out. Read on to be inspired about new topics and effective strategies to help you get creative this year.

It seems like everyone is focused on dieting and nutrition this time of year, so we felt we should join in and discuss proper nutrition in pregnancy. There are many dietary recommendations that a pregnant woman may follow

You’ve made the decision that you’re ready to bring a new baby into your family and now you want to make sure you’re taking the right steps to prepare your body and your mind for this incredible and exciting journey. Where do you begin? Here, we’ve gathered several key resources into one place to help you get started.

The journey of pregnancy and birth usually begins with a test – the resulting two pink lines, plus sign, or word “pregnant” appear and change your world forever. For many mothers, this is the first of many tests to come throughout pregnancy.

So what should you expect when it comes to prenatal testing and what do those tests mean for you and your baby?

Here, we’ll break down the first round of tests, which most moms receive as part of routine care. Then in part 2, we’ll explain the next round of tests an expectant mother may choose to have if the first round yield a potential concern or if she desires more information because of family medical history, etc.

Gone are the days of mothers crunching on ice chips during labor. Evidence-based practice supports (and even encourages!) mothers to eat during labor. Why? Because your car won’t run well on an empty tank, and neither will you!

Even the American Society of Anesthesiologists, just last year, said that