Pregnancy

Disclaimer: This is the first guest post from Dr. Leanne Redman, associate professor of women's health studies at Pennington Biomedical Research Center. You can get to know her more here. Her facts and opinions are based on her personal research.  Red Stick Moms Blog was not paid to promote any specific medical viewpoints or studies. Always consult your physician with any medical questions.  One of the most accepted wives tales for pregnant women is that pregnancy is a time to let go of any inhibitions related to nutrition, and to over-indulge in every food craving since we are now ‘eating for two’. While this dogma was probably true back in the 1950’s when only 1 in 10 women were dealing...

Our birth stories don’t all begin the moment we bring our children into the world. For me, it began in high school with a moment imprinted on my heart forever: staring at my doctor’s face as she said, “You have endometriosis. Having children will be very, very difficult for you.” From that moment on, I had resolved in my heart that I would never be the one thing I always wanted to be...a mother. Fast-forward five years later after only two months of marriage and seeing those two pink lines, it was instant amazement, awe, wonder, and excitement. With my first pregnancy, I suffered from hyperemesis gravidarum, sporadic bleeding, gestational diabetes, preterm labor at 28 weeks, and prodromal labor that...

In my early teens, I learned about natural childbirth from a close family friend who had a homebirth. I thought her story was awesome. She was actually the one who allowed me to witness my first vaginal birth, unmedicated at the hospital. Even at the ripe age of 16, I thought that this is how I was going to birth my babies. Fast forward to 23, and I get pregnant while living in Japan. I was uber excited and spent all my free time at work (where I was paid to sit in the teacher’s lounge and look American and pretty) browsing Japanese birth centers, waterbirths, and midwives. I found one that looked pretty and we went to our first...

I never thought a home birth would be for me. Only crazy people did that, right? Then my best friend had a home birth. Soon after, I joined a natural birth community in Louisiana when I was pregnant with my first daughter and it opened my eyes a bit more. But, it still seemed too “fringe” for me. One unnecessary cesarean and a hospital VBAC later, I began planning a homebirth during my third pregnancy. Initially, my husband Taylor was nervous about the idea, understandably so. Midway through the pregnancy, something clicked for him. After a visit with our midwife he said, “It just makes sense. Why wouldn’t we have a homebirth with Sherri? She has so much experience.” He...

It all started with a heartbeat. That strong, simple, yet deafening sound that you hear the day you nervously walk into the ultrasound room hoping for the first glimpse at your new life. Sometimes the heartbeat doesn’t last. They flutter for a while and then slowly and unfairly fade, and those precious, limited moments are held close to the mother’s own broken heart. Other times, they grow stronger and faster and bloom into little miracles. And by God’s grace, her heartbeat was strong, and we saw Audrey Faye Roussell for the first time in grainy Technicolor on a cold January day. Nine long months later, I sat in that same ultrasound room, having just seen our nearly eight pound baby and...