Today, my baby girl is 6 months old. Halfway to a year already. She’s somewhat mobile at this point. Not crawling yet – instead, she rolls to get where she wants to be. She spends a lot of time playing on the floor, chewing on everything in her reach (including chair legs.) We’ve started to experiment with Baby-Led Weaning. She...

Three years ago, I sat down and wrote out all the details I could remember about my cesarean birth. I was just a month away from facing my VBAC attempt, and I used this as an exercise in catharsis to process everything that happened during my first labor.  I’m not sure why I never published it on my blog before,...

Congratulations on your pregnancy!  The birth of your baby is a momentous occasion, one filled with joy, love, and anticipation.  During this special time, you may be looking for ways to make your birth experience more comfortable, safe, and satisfying for both you and your baby.  Hiring a doula to attend your birth may be one of the most beneficial...

This weekend, one of our areas favorite veteran birth activists, doulas, and midwives-in-training saw her house burn to the ground. Nothing left. Not clothes. Not food. Not furniture. Nothing. Rachel Dolan Wickersham has been helping families of the greater Chicagoland area for more than a dozen years.  She is a cesarean mom and ICAN supporter, a mentor for dozens of...

There are so many things about birth that are up to the universe to decide.  When will the baby come?  Will he/she be totally healthy?  Where will I be when that moment hits?  The unknowns are limitless. After my induction-turned-cesarean, then my hard-fought hospital VBAC, I learned that despite all the things left purely up to chance, there are actually...

This week I attended my 6th birth as a doula, which was also my very 1st cesarean.  I’m not going to talk about the mother’s birth story because that’s not my story to tell, but I do want to talk about how I felt throughout this experience, especially given my own history. When I first started taking births as a...

by Anne Roth I believe that a baby’s journey into this world should be as nature intended. It is normal and natural for a mother to labor without interventions. Ideally she should have a midwife and doula she trusts to help her along the way. It should be a peaceful and empowering experience filled with joy. I have two daughters,...