Pitocin—one of the most overused & abused drugs in the western medical birth space— My least favorite. By far. Did you know ‘Pit to Distress’ is a very very real practice? Almost half of all mothers in the U.S. are induced nowadays, most of the time with Pitocin. These numbers reinforce the idea that doctors are using Pitocin to push labor along when they should be using it as a back-up plan or an exception to a normal birth plan. The use of Pitocin in labor is the leading cause of malpractice claims. After a patient has been given Pitocin, it can take up to 40 minutes for the body to respond. Doctors still regularly order nurses to increase Pitocin dosage every 20 minutes. “Pit to distress” means “Up the Pitocin drip until the baby goes into fetal distress.” Once the Pitocin is increased, contractions will come more powerfully. Typically the baby won’t have time to recover between contractions. At the first sign of fetal distress, the doctor becomes justified in swooping in to perform an “emergency” C-section. And we allow this shit to happen…

Every time I come to work I am just in awe of women. Of mothers. Of their love & sacrifice. I sit here in tears because it’s such a beautiful thing to witness—the meeting of a mother & her baby. Of a mother meeting herself for the first time. Just beautiful.

Please? Please? Thanks.

The problems started when we thought we knew more about birth than the woman birthing. When we thought we knew more about her body. When we thought we knew more about her baby. We don’t know more about birth than that woman birthing. That’s the way it should be.

It’s something I hear often—“well at least the baby’s okay, that’s all that matters”. Is it all that matters? Or does it perpetuate the western industrial complex that preys on women. That traumatizes them in the birthing room without batting an eye. Whatever it is, this phrase, it needs to stop. A lot more matters. That mother, who trusted you, was just cut open emergently. Asleep when her baby entered the world. Ripped open. That ‘little electrode’ you just placed caused massive trauma to a babies skull resulting in a cascade of interventions that was entirely unnecessary. That ‘little vacuum’ that you placed almost broke that babies skull. Serious shit. A lifetime of trauma. So no it’s not just “at least the baby’s okay”. Its “holy shit something needs to change here”—

Yes, these are real things I’ve heard dads say to their partners. Yes, most of these comments have happened after a delivery of a new baby where the mother is still processing & healing. DADS—do better. The words you say are important. They matter. They can make or break the breastfeeding journey. And if your partner wants to breastfeed that’s all that matters. Hope this helps 👌🏼

I hear this all the time— “Thank god I was in the hospital because my baby was too big for my body and that’s why I had a shoulder dystocia” Was that really what happened? Also, why is a shoulder dystocia a medical emergency in the hospital but handled so differently in community birth? Hmmmmm

Your baby does not need a bath. The vernix on their skin is soooooo good for them— -It helps them regulate temperature -Helps their skin adjust to a new environment -Antimicrobial barrier preventing infection -Helps you bond with baby SKIP THE BATH PLZ