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The Birth Mag

The Intersection of Sex and Pregnancy: A Conversation with a Doula and Sex Therapist

March 3, 2020

Sex does not end with pregnancy. Although pregnancy and the postpartum period can complicate or add challenges to how a person approaches their sexuality, it is the responsibility of the birth worker to make sure they incorporate (into their practice) a discussion about what a person or couple needs during their pregnancy experience. This is where Tynan Rhea can help.

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Postpartum Anxiety

January 23, 2020

by Raichal Reed Imagine you have just had your newborn child. While you are holding them in your arms, you imagine every bad thing that could possibly happen to them in the outside world. Even worse, you imagine your own death, leaving them to fend for themselves. Then weeks later, you are suddenly having unwarranted panic attacks once going back to work for the first time since the infant was born. Even after taking more time off, the idea of going back to work at all has now become a fear. The idea of leaving the house has become dangerous, and now you have lost the ability to go outside even in the backyard without panic rising in your throat. You’ve been to a doctor (because your partner or family dragged you) but the medication doesn’t work because you aren’t depressed, you are just afraid of everything you can’t control outside of the house.  Some birthing people deal with thoughts like these obsessively and sometimes worse thoughts leading to hospitalization or medical treatment. A certain level of worry is normal due to a changing body, worries about new additions to the family, parenthood for the first time, etc. Due to this, a lot of birthing people are not able to be diagnosed or tested properly until after 6 weeks postpartum where, at that point, they are no longer seeing their physician. Postpartum Anxiety Disorder (PAD), as of the time of this article, does not have a standardized definition nor a proper scale or testing for confirmation of the condition. The closest we have gotten currently has been in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders which defined PAD as, “an excessive worry about a variety of topics that is hard to control and interferes with day-to-day activities”. It is associated with at least 3 physical and/or cognitive symptoms, such as: edginess, restlessness, tiring easily, impaired concentration, and irritability. Anxiety disorders are actually of a higher incidence rate in the general population than any other mood disorder. Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) has been found in case studies to be as high as 17.1% and postpartum depression has reduced to 4.8% on average. Just like with depression, a certain amount of “baby blues” is considered normal; there is a certain level of worry that is normal in the pregnancy and postpartum. Some risk factors for GAD in pregnancy specifically are: a…

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The History of the Postpartum

January 9, 2020

by Raichal Reed Rites of passage have happened through every culture and throughout time. According to a scholarly journal written by Malin Eberhard-Gran, there are three phases: Separation, Margin/Threshold, and Reincorporation. Separation is defined as the individual being detached from the social environment (family, friends, etc.), then the margin (the outer edge of society where growth and knowledge occurs) and finally reincorporation (the individual returns to society changed and in a new social position). Just like with these rites of passage, pregnancy and the postpartum can be defined within these three phases. For the sake of this article, we will be focusing on the transition between the margin and the reincorporation as seen through the birth of the child to the end of the postpartum period. The postpartum period has been defined by many cultures. Some names that “the postpartum” has taken in other cultures are: Satogaeri Bunben (Japan), Zuo yuezi (China), Yu duan (Thailand), La Cuarenta (Mexico), and Pos-parto (Portugal). There is an average of 21 days to 5 weeks among all recorded history which extensions or shortening depending on individual circumstances or specific faiths. The oldest records found speaking on instruction or depiction of a postpartum period can be found in two places. The first is in the Old Testament of the Bible in the book of Leviticus which most scholars agree had to be written around 6th century BC prior to the death of Moses. Depending on what version of the bible you were to read, the days can range from 33 to 80 days following the birth of the child. Quoting this literature, it states in Leviticus 12:5, “She must not touch anything sacred or go into sanctuary until the days of her purification are complete”. The interesting part about such a wide gap in time of rest was that depending on the anatomical sex of the child, the days were doubled. A son would give you 33 to 40 days, while the birth of a daughter would give you a doubled number from 66 to 80 days minimum. Menstruation has always been seen as unclean in biblical times to the extent that people were kept in a separate tent when bleeding, so they do not contaminate/corrupt others. “The Red Tent” written by Anita Diamant is an excellent depiction of the customs and rules that came around those who menstruate. The postpartum period depicted in the…

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thebirthmag

Happy new year! 2020 was rough on the Birth Mag cr Happy new year! 2020 was rough on the Birth Mag crew, and we know it was for many of you as well. This turned out to be a terrible year to launch a new magazine project, but it's over, and we're moving forward.

What's next then? First and foremost, the next print issue is coming! Look for a sneak peek of the upcoming cover next week. We are also settling in to a more consistent release of digital content going forward. 

We are so thankful for everyone who has hung in there with us through the tumultuous ride that was 2020, and look forward to bringing you so much more in 2021!

#thebirthmag #birthwork #birthworkers #midwifery #doulalife
New on the website this week, from Dr. Ali Davis, New on the website this week, from Dr. Ali Davis, DC (@dr_ali_thechiro ): 

"Someone you know is LGBTQIA+, possibly even someone you love.
If you’ve been in practice for any length of time, chances are you have LGBTQIA+ clients.
Even if you don’t know which ones they are.
Even if you practice in a small rural town.
Even if you think your practice serves a 'different' niche of clientele."

Read the full article at www.thebirthmag.com 

#inclusivecare #inclusionmatters #lgbtqia #lgbtqbirthmatters #queerparents #thebirthmag #birthworkforall
Repost of a snippet of a live from @maytethewombdo Repost of a snippet of a live from @maytethewombdoula and @mujer_dela_tierra discussing violence in American midwifery. You can find the full length video over on Mayte's page, and I strongly encourage everyone, especially white midwives, to go watch it. There's some excellent explanation of differences between traditional midwifery (specifically parteras) and modern midwifery as typical in the USA, and the ways bias impacts care. Warning: this is a hard conversation and does include talk about loss of a baby.
New this week on the website, some thoughts from @ New this week on the website, some thoughts from @doula_barb of @birth_fort_worth on sustainable birthwork practices, because we all know that burnout is real.

"Sustainability.

These days, it almost seems like a buzz word in the birth world. A free download. A hashtag. A commodity, even.

In reality, though, sustainability in birthwork, particularly in the doula-world, means getting to do the work that sets your soul on fire for longer than a few years.

Sustainability means creating a business from which you don’t need to regularly take self-care, or 'burnout breaks'. It’s so much more than warm baths, massages, mantras and aromatherapy.

It’s understanding that you have value. It’s understanding that it’s ok to charge whatever it takes to make you feel GOOD about walking out the door and leaving your life behind for an unknown amount of time. It’s about business models and contracts. It’s about boundaries."

Read the entire article on www.thebirthmag.com (link in bio).

#birthwork #birthworkers #doulalife #midwifery #birthsupport #thebirthmag
New on TheBirthMag.com this week from Juli Tilsner New on TheBirthMag.com this week from Juli Tilsner (@midwifejuli.cornerstone ): 
"Continuity of care and continuous labor support are intertwined as one of the most difficult aspects of birth work.  They can lead to severe burnout and limit our income when we don’t have partnerships or backups available. We can easily justify taking more clients in a month than we know we should, making these exceptions because we tell ourselves 'they need us' and saying no breaks our hearts. Most of us have broken our own number of clients per month rule, maybe more than once. Maybe it turned out OK, possibly not."

Read the full article on the website. Link in bio!

Photo by @natbro.photo

#doula #doulalife #doulaservices #midwife #midwifery #midwifelife #birthwork #birthworkers #birthsupport
New on the website this week: Raichal Reed (@mcdon New on the website this week: Raichal Reed (@mcdonald_herbalist ) shares some information about waterbirth and Covid-19. 

"According to the CDC, 'There is no evidence that COVID-19 can be spread to humans through the use of pools and hot tubs. Proper operation, maintenance, and disinfection of pools and hot tubs should remove or inactive the virus that causes COVID-19'. All rules that currently stand for a birthing person to be able to be in the pool (no fever, respiratory issues, etc.) should stay the same so that those who are sick in general are not in the water. Infections and how they spread vary and because there is no current documentation as to every way a person can contract the COVID-19 it is important to have proper personal protective equipment with each birthing person. Currently the CDC has not found any traces of COVID-19 in any municipal water systems, but they have not properly studied well water so their research is to be determined."

You can read more on TheBirthMag.com! Link in bio.

#waterbirth #birthduringcovid19
#midwifery #birthsupport
#birthwork #bornin2020
The lactation issue is out! We had an abundance of The lactation issue is out! We had an abundance of delays, but they have now all been mailed. If you've been waiting on this issue, keep an eye on your mailbox, because it is on the way!
Community led, community based. The Birth Mag is l Community led, community based. The Birth Mag is looking for new submissions! Are you a birth worker? Are you interested in helping your fellow birth workers learn and grow to be more inclusive and educated on the issues birthing people are facing today? We want to hear from you! Compensation starts at $35 for any article that is used. Please e-mail us at thebirthmag@gmail.com for more information or to submit an article.
#Repost @thevaginachronicles
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There is so much to learn from this week. So much to give and receive. .
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This list is not an extensive and in no particular order but it is some of the HARD and persistent work that we must do. .
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Black people breastfeed. Even when we tell you no after you’ve asked 15 times if we want formula. Even when we are afraid of what it looks like and how we can continue It. Even when we see how you look at our breasts not understanding how different they can be. Even when we must figure out breastfeeding complexities by ourself. Even when we had to do it for you, before we could do it for our own children. .
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WE BREASTFEED!
#Repost @blkbfingweek • • • • • • HAPP #Repost @blkbfingweek
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HAPPY BLACK BREASTFEEDING WEEK! 🤩

By our histories and by the truths we know from living, our possibilities are greater than any imagination. 

For all the days that have felt hopeless, we invite you to enter a period of nourishment to revive.

Where there has been loss, grief and uncertainty, our restoration is key to being present and imagining healthy futures. 

And all through #BBW20, we reclaim our time, lives and families. 

Let’s gooooooo! 

#ReviveRestoreReclaim #blackbreastfeedingweek

Artist: Andrea Pippins @andreapippins
#Repost @storkandcradleclasses • • • • • #Repost @storkandcradleclasses
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New York, New York

Today starts Native Breastfeeding Week. Here are some native breastfeeding facts you should know.

-“The mission of the Native Breastfeeding Week community is to reflect the diversity of native breast-feeding experiences and to encourage and uplift visibility of native breast-feeding experiences”
-“this community also helps to address the inequality and injustice of indigenous mothers and their abilities to practice their roles in accordance to the tribal communities they dissent from”
-American Indian and American Native rates of breastfeeding initiation is 73% versus the national average of 83%.
-Formula supplementation is high (97%) for mothers who didn’t initiate.
-many native mother’s insurance doesn’t cover donor milk which could greatly benefit infants.
-many native women lack breastfeeding support because of social and cultural norms.

Facts are from @ja_lyonhawk article posted at illusa.org 2019

Please visit Native Breastfeeding Week’s Facebook Page for info about the virtual events you can support this week. ❤️

#indigenousbreastfeeding #indigenouswomen #americanindian 
#nativebreastfeedingweek #blackibclc #ibclc #doulasupport #doulas #blackmidwives #midwives #breastfeedingsupport #storkandcradle
#Repost @taprootdoula • • • • • • Blac #Repost @taprootdoula
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Black Maternal Health Week is EVERY week •
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Art @designedbydg •
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The best way I’ve improved my ability to care for black parents is to listen to them. But before I could learn to listen, I had to commit to the LIFELONG task of confronting my biases against them. I must also commit over and over to the a promise that I would confront bias and racism I witness in my colleagues, providers, leadership and institution. This involves being brave, frank and unapologetic, and well-versed in the mechanisms for reporting abusive and problematic  behavior, even in situations with an imbalance of power (nurse v. physician, etc.) Anti-blackness is the default in our culture. As healthcare workers if we don’t intentionally, diligently, and sustainably work to confront and destroy our biases, these biases WILL lead to black birthing people and babies’ harm and death.
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Every birth worker - doctor, nurse, doula, midwife - needs to invest in an anti-racism training - @rebirthequity ~ @theblackdoula ~ @shishi.rose ~ @abide_women are some leaders who receive compensation to help you confront your biases against black birthing people. Anti-racism training is not CULTURAL COMPETENCY TRAINING. Cultural competency training is required by most employers, it’s been around for a while, and it doesn’t change s#%^.
•
Follow 
@blackmamasmatter @4kira4moms to keep up to date on ways you can learn more and legislation that is working towards the goal of protecting black parents and babies from medical racism that causes harm.

#blackmamasmatter #maternalmortality #blackmaternalhealthweek
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