Benefits of Kangaroo Mother Care

Guest Post by Neve Spicer of We The Parents.  May 15th is a day devoted to celebrating Kangaroo Mother Care, a bonding-focused method of infant care which prioritizes skin-to-skin contact, exclusive breastfeeding, and early hospital release. Using KMC provides numerous benefits to all infants, but is especially adept at speeding the stabilization of premature babies, and has become a commonly used, inexpensive method of aiding their care in hospitals and homes around the world. One clinical study performed in 2004 …

5 Tips in 5 Minutes with Kerry Reynolds! Part 1: Preparing for Birth

Kerry Reynolds is a Balanced Birth Support Senior Doula working full-time supporting families throughout the DC Metro Area and Greater Maryland. She has been a practicing doula since January of 2009 has supported over 500 births including home birth, medicated and non–medicated hospital, cesarean birth, twin deliveries, LGBTQ families, and VBAC deliveries. Learn more about Kerry on the BBS website and contact her here. In Part 1 of Kerry’s new video blog series she explores how to communicate your birth preferences …

In The NICU: Caring for Yourself and Your Premature Baby

Its never easy when your baby has an extended stay in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Even if you have advanced notice that its a possibility, you can never fully prepare yourself for the wide range of emotions, bone- aching exhaustion, fear, and the eventual excitement when you bring your baby home.  However, there are ways that you can empower yourself and your family for a NICU stay, whether you know it might happen, or if it comes as a …

In Depth: Balanced Birth Supports 1-Day Comprehensive Childbirth Class

Our next 1-Day Comprehensive Childbirth Education Class takes place from 9am-5pm on May 24th at the Body in Balance Center in Alexandria, Virginia. In this full-day class you will learn all about the physiology of pregnancy and birth, comfort measures, breastfeeding, newborn care, and how to diminish fears surrounding pregnancy, birth, and early parenting! This class is taught by childbirth educator, birth & postpartum doula, Sara P.! This is a great class for any kind of birth- medicated, unmedicated, induction, …