Category: Pregnancy

Observing Pregnancy & Infant Loss Awareness Month

October is Pregnancy & Infant Loss Awareness Month—a time to honor families who have experienced the heartbreak of losing a child and to talk openly about something that affects so many people. Minnesota organization, Star Legacy Foundation, recently sat...

The Guilt + Shame of Infertility

Infertility can spark a lot of questions like, “Why is this happening to me?” And “Do I deserve to be a parent?” But it can feel twice as complicated and shame-filled if you once terminated a pregnancy and are...

Don’t Let Infertility Get You Down

Infertility can be filled with uncertainty, grief, and frustration. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed—especially when it seems like everyone around you is growing their families while you’re struggling to take those next steps. But you are not alone. In...

What Every Provider Type Should Know and Do For Maternal Mental Health

The following provider core competencies for maternal mental health were developed and published this year, 2017, by the California Task Force on Maternal Mental Health Care. The competencies were developed to address the need for baseline knowledge and skills...

Amber’s Story: Perinatal Depression Beginning in Pregnancy

I found out I was pregnant with my third child in August 2014. My 2nd had just turned one and I had just gotten married in April of that year. One would think that everything would be great! However,...

Adoption After Infertility

Though some come to adoption by choice at the start of their parenting journey, others arrive at the decision after a lengthy battle with infertility. Neither scenario makes the adoption more wonderful or more challenging. However, those who decide...

Postpartum Recovery: Patience and the Placenta Wound

Woven into many cultures and backed by years of wisdom is the practice of “lying in” after having a baby. In Latin cultures this womblike “baby moon” is called la cuarentena—a literal, yet nonabrasive quarantine. In China and Korea,...

Filling the Empty Arms: Pregnancy After Loss

We recently discussed the impact of fertility struggle on pregnancy and childbirth—mainly, the increased risk for perinatal mood disorders. A situation that similarly affects the emotional state of the new or expectant parent is pregnancy after loss—be it miscarriage,...

Elation, Freedom, Relief, Sadness, Anxiety: The Weaning Mother

Weaning begins the moment a child takes in calories from a source other than breastmilk. At best, the process takes weeks, months, and sometimes years. Oxytocin and prolactin, the hormones responsible for milk production and letdown in the breastfeeding...

The Aftermath of Fertility Struggles and Perinatal Mood Disorders

Infertility, Pregnancy, and Mental Health Though fertility struggles are both common and highly treatable, they presents an overwhelming set of challenges and emotions for the individual. While trying to conceive—perhaps with the use of IVF or hormone therapy—a couple...

Affording the High Cost of Fertility Treatment

Typical Costs Couples going through infertility, and the challenge of trying to conceive is not only difficult emotionally, it effects every aspect of life. Our relationships, social life, and even spirituality can get disrupted & problematic. The financial hurdles involved...